MASSIVE INOCULATION. The ongoing Covid-19 vaccination at the University of San Agustin (USA) on Wednesday (June 23, 2021). The city government here has gone massive with the inoculation as Covid-19 infections continue to rise. (Photo from Iloilo City Government FB page)
ILOILO CITY – Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. will visit this highly urbanized city next week to bring solutions to the surging number of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections in the metropolis.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas, in an advisory on Wednesday, said Roque and Galvez called and informed him that they are looking for solutions to the city’s lack of vaccines, medical personnel, Covid-19 medicines, and equipment like ventilators and high flow oxygen cannula; and the unpaid bill of the Philippine Health Insurance System to various hospitals in the city amounting to almost PHP1 billion.
“They also informed me that they are coming to Iloilo City early next week with the needed supplies and solutions. I will wait for them to come here so that I will know how these problems can be resolved for my beloved Ilonggos," Trenas said.
The local government and various sectors in the city have been calling for help from the national government as cases of the Covid-19 continue to surge.
On June 21, in a conference call with Senator Christopher Lawrence Go, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, and Galvez it was agreed that the city will receive 11, 700 doses of Pfizer and 20,000 doses of Sinovac on June 22 and additional 50,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines next week, the mayor said.
However, the fresh supplies that arrived for the city on Tuesday only included 10,000 vials of Sinovac and 975 vials or 5, 850 doses of Pfizer vaccines.
Treñas said that if the promised 50,000 doses will arrive next week, the city government will be opening four vaccination centers at the Central Philippine University (CPU), Iloilo Convention Center (ICON), Ateneo de Iloilo, and University of San Agustin (USA) to accommodate vaccinees.
Meantime, the Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH WV CHD) here said that vaccines delivered to Iloilo City are all accounted for.
In a letter addressed to Treñas dated June 22, 2021 and released to the local media on Wednesday, DOH WV CHD regional director Emilia P. Monicimpo presented the breakdown of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines that were allocated to the local government and various hospitals based in this city totaling to 84, 616 doses.
“As of date, 63, 176 doses of Sinovac and 21, 440 doses of AstraZeneca were allocated to Iloilo City,” she said.
Of the total allocation, 13, 512 doses of Sinovac and 4, 560 of AstraZeneca went to hospitals based in the city while 49, 664 doses of Sinovac and 16,880 doses of AstraZeneca to the health office of this metropolis.
“The LVOCs (Local Vaccine Operations Center), shall oversee all the implementing units such as government hospitals (both public and private), private clinics, government agencies, and rural health units. As such, all activities of the implementing units shall be monitored by the local vaccine operations center to ensure timely and appropriate implementation of the vaccination program,” she added.
Monicimpo’s letter was in response to the inquiry of Treñas regarding the shortfall of 17, 680 doses out of the 84, 224 total doses that were sent to the city as of June 20 as per the report of the DOH.
Based on the regional case bulletin released by the DOH WV CHD, Iloilo City as of June 22 has 2, 485 active cases of its 10, 169 total cumulative infections. It has 253 deaths and the rest are recoveries. (PNA)
