VAX SITE VISIT. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III addresses health workers and officials of Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija during the vaccination site visit of the National Task Force Against Covid-19 on Wednesday (Dec. 15, 2021). Duque and his party visited several vaccination centers, oxygen refilling plants, cold storage facility and the Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility. (Photo by Marilyn Galang)
CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija – The National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 on Wednesday lauded the city government for its enhanced efforts to contain the virus, citing its establishment of cold chain facilities for vaccine storage and the 320-bed capacity Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility (TTMF).
"Talaga namang handang-handa (Indeed, it is very much ready)," Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said referring to the local government unit (LGU), after his party visited several vaccination centers, oxygen refilling plants, cold storage facility, and the TTMF in Barangay Kapitan Pepe.
Aside from Duque, other officials in the team were NTF Against Covid-19 Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr., Presidential Adviser for Flagship Programs and Projects and Deputy Chief Implementer of NTF Against Covid-19, Secretary Vivencio “Vince” B. Dizon, World Health Organization Representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, Cabanatuan Mayor Myca Elizabeth Vergara, and Vice Mayor Julius Cesar Vergara.
The activity was part of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases' (IATF-EID) and NTF Covid-19's vaccination site visitations.
"Aba e hindi naman lahat ng mga pamahalaang lokal ay mayroong ganung kapasidad (Not all local governments have such capacity)," Duque said.
The TTMF, on the other hand, is one of the biggest in the country, he added.
"This is a big help and we can say that it is good, with no occupancy but they are preparing for the worst-case scenario. Because, we cannot say, like what Sec. Vince Dizon said, it is not yet over because one of the characteristics of Covid is the capacity to change constantly or the mutation)," Duque said in a mix of Filipino and English.
No one, he said, could say when the pandemic would end. "Your guess is as good as mine.”
Vergara said the TTMF which rooms have individual air-conditioning units, beds, and comfort rooms among other facilities, is currently housing medical staff and employees of the Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center who have to undergo seven-day quarantine after rendering hospital duties.
He said the city government used to spend PHP1,000 per day for each person quarantined in hotels, thus the establishment of TTMF.
Dizon, meanwhile, lauded the city government for achieving 67 percent of its vaccination target as of Dec. 15.
On Tuesday night, he said, 25,000 Jansen vaccine doses were delivered to the LGU for the stepped-up vaccination drive that started Wednesday. (PNA)
