ILOILO – To attain herd immunity against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) before yearend, the provincial government is targeting to inoculate 35,000 Ilonggos daily.
On Friday, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. inquired from local government units (LGUs) about their capacities to vaccinate.
“How many are we doing today per vaccinator or per municipality? Ano ang baseline sa provincial level? Kon daku ka nga municipality, you might have to do 1,000 per day kag kon gamay, 700 per day,” said Defensor.
More anti-coronavirus jabs are arriving, according to the governor.
Defensor is confident of reaching the daily target. He said vaccination teams of the Provincial Health Office (PHO) would be expanded in each town.
Defensor is studying the possibility of opening the vaccination to the general public even if some priority residents remain skeptical of the jabs.
The province has to vaccinate 1,448,757 people to achieve herd immunity.
As for pediatric vaccination, Defensor said pre-registration with the local government units is ongoing.
The province is waiting for the Department of Health’s (DOH) go signal, according to Defensor.
As of Oct. 19, PHO data showed 452,711 Ilonggos – 31 percent of the target population – have been vaccinated; 323,118 completed their recommended doses.
The brands of vaccines administered included: AstraZeneca – 116,282; Sinovac – 328,693; Pfizer – 56,672; Moderna – 94,534; and Janssen – 89,824.
Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, head of PHO, announced the national government through DOH and the Covax facility will send about 150,000 doses of Sinovac and 196,900 doses of Pfizer here.
LGUs with high coronavirus cases and low vaccination turnout would be prioritized, Quiñon said./PN
