MORE VACCINES. Dr. Mary Jane Roches Juanico, head of the infectious disease section of the Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development, says the region is expecting additional Sinovac vaccines this week. In a virtual "Isyung Bakuna" forum on Monday (April 5, 2021), she said 30.36 percent of those prioritized healthcare workers in the region have been administered with vaccines. (Screenshot from Isyung Bakuna video)
ILOILO CITY – An additional 14,400 doses of the Sinovac vaccines are expected to arrive in Region 6 or Western Visayas this week.
Dr. Mary Jane Roches Juanico, head of the infectious disease section of the Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH WV CHD), said the additional vaccines are part of the one million doses of Sinovac that arrived in Manila last March 29.
“The doses that will arrive this week coming from the one million doses are from the procured Sinovac of our national government,” she said during Monday’s virtual “Isyung Bakuna” forum.
Of the arrivals, 7,200 doses will be for health care workers from Panay island and Guimaras province who already received their first dose of the vaccines.
The remaining 7,200 will be for health care workers in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental municipalities and hospitals, she said.
As per latest information from the Office of the Civil Defense Western Visayas (OCD 6), which is in-charge of logistics, an initial 7,200 doses will arrive at the Iloilo International Airport on Tuesday (April 6).
Meanwhile, Juanico said 30.36 percent of the 94,770 individuals listed under the A1 priority group or health care workers in Western Visayas have been vaccinated.
She said that 19,021 of them were vaccinated with Sinovac and 9,748 with AstraZeneca.
The region has already received 39,380 doses of vaccines and 28,769 have been consumed.
Juanico also said while there were some healthcare workers who experienced immediate side effects from the vaccines, most were mild such as elevated blood pressure, dizziness and headaches.
Some of those who availed of AstraZeneca jabs developed fever which was attributed to the development of antibodies in their system.
“We have to note that the primary goal of our vaccination is not to prevent totally the Covid-19 disease but to prevent severe and critical sickness,” Juanico noted. (PNA)
