ILOILO City – Ten thousand doses of vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca would be allotted to senior citizen healthcare workers in Western Visayas, according to the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6.
“I-prioritize naton ang mga healthcare workers above 60 years old,” according to Dr. Sophia Pulmones, head of the Local Health Support Division of DOH-6 and manager of the Regional Vaccination Operations Center (RVOC).
The AstraZeneca vaccines were delivered to Iloilo yesterday morning via the Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo.
“The Sinovac vaccine is only for people 18 to 59 years old. So ang mga more than 59 years old, amo na ang aton i-prioritize for AstraZeneca,” said Pulmones.
Aside from AstraZeneca, a total of 16,880 Sinovac vaccines were also delivered yesterday. Pulmones said it will be intended for the second dose of healthcare workers who got their initial dose.
The RVOC manager urged all recipient COVID-19 referral hospitals to finish giving out the first dose of Sinovac vaccines within this week so the corresponding allocation for the second dose would be made.
The second dose must be given to recipients 28 days after the first inoculation.
On March 5, some 16, 880 doses of Sinovac vaccines were sent to Region 6.
Deliveries are still ongoing since the regional health department is basing the allocation on the number of healthcare workers willing to be inoculated.
As of March 9, 1,634 healthcare workers in Western Visayas who have been inoculated with the anti-coronavirus jabs.
According to the DOH, from Level 3 hospitals, to be prioritized next were personnel from Level 1 and Level 2 hospitals, infirmary and quarantine and isolation facilities.
Level 1 hospitals are those with minimum healthcare services; Level 2 are hospitals that offer extra facilities like intensive care unit and specialist doctors; and Level 3 hospitals have training programs for doctors, rehabilitation, dialysis units, among others./PN
