ILOILO City – This city needs not just more vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Ilonggos must have options, too. This was Mayor Jerry Treñas’ oblique message to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque who delivered here yesterday 50,000 doses of China-made Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines.
“This morning I opened my television set. I saw people in San Juan (City, Metro Manila) lining up to be vaccinated with Moderna. Ano ba ang mga tao doon sa San Juan, Diyos ba yan? Ano kami, mga unggoy kami dito? Bakit sila may Moderna? Bakit kami Sinovac?” asked Treñas.
Moderna is a US-made COVID-19 vaccine.
While Treñas thanked Roque for the 50,000 doses of Sinovac which he said was the biggest single vaccine delivered to the city to date, the mayor said these were good for 25,000 people only (a person needs two doses to be fully vaccinated).
With the city government able to vaccinate 7,500 people daily, Treñas said the doses delivered would last only for four days.
Roque said since Iloilo City has a cold storage capacity, then it can receive “sub-zero vaccines” such as Moderna and Pfizer.
The Moderna vaccines only arrived on June 27, he said, but in time these will also be allocated to urban centers with cold storage capacity.
“Not only Moderna. May 40 million na Pfizer and Pfizer will make it also to Iloilo City,” said Roque.
Treñas assured Roque there is no vaccine hesitancy in Iloilo City. Of the metro’s half-a-million population, he said 230,000 already registered for vaccination.
“People want to be vaccinated. It is only the lack of vaccines that is stopping us from having a regular, steady and continuous vaccination,” he stressed.
‘BE PATIENT’
Roque asked the Ilonggo community to be more patient. He vowed to make this city a priority for vaccination.
“My kapwa Ilonggos,” he said, “hindi lang po tayo ang talagang nagre–reklamo na kulang ang vaccines, it’s the whole Philippines.”
Roque, whose mother was an Ilongga, said vaccine deliveries may have some delays because the country is receiving limited supplies. He disclosed that the vaccines the country has so far barely reached 20 million.
“Humihingi po kami ng pasensya dahil ‘yon po ang realidad,” Roque said.
These past two weeks, Treñas and various sectors wrote the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) asking for more vaccines.
“Lahat ng syudad, probinsya, sulok ng Pilipinas kulang sa vaccines. ‘Di ito dumadating ng isang bulto lang, (kundi) paunti-unti. Kaya sa unting-unting pagdating ng supply, ibinibigay ang priority sa most vulnerable,” he added, referring to the healthcare workers, elderly and persons with comorbidities.
Now that this city is also experiencing a surge in COVID-19 infections, “kasama na po sa areas na mabibigyan ng prayoridad si Iloilo City,” Roque said.
Treñas pointed out that vaccine distribution – of a brand for instance – should be done equitably.
“We are distributing vaccines to all on the basis of population. But of course, we are giving more to areas with local surges,” said Roque.
The two-week average attack rate and the health care utilization rate of an area in determining the allocation are also factors being considered, he added.
Aside from the 50,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines, Roque also turned over to the city government – during a ceremony at the Iloilo City Freedom Grandstand – 27 mechanical ventilators, 31 bi-level positive airway pressure (BPAP), five high flow nasal cannulas, and 12,000 personal protective equipment (PPEs).
With Roque yesterday were Department of Health undersecretary Leopoldo Vega, Assistant Secretary Romeo Ong, and the director of DOH in National Capital Region, Dr. Ariel Valencia.
Also present at the turnover ceremony were new DOH Region 6 director Adriano Sub-an and Cong. Julienne Baronda./PN
