ILOILO – The provincial government is targeting to vaccinate up to 135,000 persons against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To achieve this, the Provincial Health Office – with the help of the Department of Health (DOH) – has started the comprehensive training of at least 80 vaccinators.
According to Atty. Suzette Mamon, provincial administrator, each of the 43 local government units in the province sent for training two medical workers, either nurses or medical technologists employed in Rural Health Units.
At the moment, only physicians and doctors are allowed to administer COVID-19 vaccines.
“Ongoing ang ginatawag nga ‘trainors training’ mentored by the DOH,” Mamon said.
She, however, could not yet ascertain as to how many vaccinators would be needed in the province and how long would their training be.
Last week, the provincial government secured 270,000 doses of AZD1222 Vaccine through a tripartite agreement with British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca and the national government.
Administered by intramuscular injection, AZD1222 has an average efficacy of 70 percent. It uses as a vector a modified chimpanzee adenovirus.
According to Mamon, the vaccines are expected to arrive in the second quarter of 2021.
Once these become available for domestic use, Mamon said, they will follow the mandate of the national government and the DOH in implementing a vaccination framework.
Those who would get priority are healthcare workers such as those in capitol-run health facilities, local government unit contact tracers, barangay workers including members of the Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams, barangay nutrition scholars, and barangay tanods, among others.
Apart from frontliners, Mamon said senior citizens and persons with comorbidities would also be the first to be vaccinated.
Various local government units across the province already earmarked varying amounts to fund the vaccination of their constituents.
Mamon, however, clarified that as of now, local governments cannot directly purchase doses of anti-coronavirus shots from private companies since vaccine supply pacts must be under tripartite agreements with the vaccine maker and the national government./PN
