ILOILO – The 43 local government units (LGUs) in this province must step up their coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination effort, according to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). It is optimistic the province could achieve herd immunity before the year ends. But so far, only 30.6 percent of the province’s target population has been fully vaccinated.
This province targets to inoculate 1,448,757 eligible individuals – 70 percent of the total population.
Vaccination in some municipalities is slow, according to Director Teodora Sumagaysay of the DILG here.
She particularly cited the towns of Carles and Estancia with vaccination coverage of 30 percent and 26 percent, respectively.
Carles targets to vaccinate 50,994 individuals while some 36,320 in Estancia. Both towns were in this province’s northern part and are composed of several island barangays.
Here are other LGUs with low vaccination accomplishment based on the data from the Provincial Health Office (PHO): San Enrique (32 percent), Maasin (33 percent), Ajuy (33 percent), San Miguel (33 percent), Tigbauan (34 percent), San Rafael (34 percent), Passi City (36 percent), Calinog (36 percent), and Sara (36 percent).
“Dapat mag-step up ini sila,” Sumagaysay said.
President Rodrigo Duterte through the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease had directed LGUs to expedite their vaccination roll out.
Sumagaysay urged the LGUs to adhere to the President’s order. She also enjoined the punong barangays to request from the provincial government free anti-virus jabs for their constituents through the village-based inoculation.
‘REVISIT VAXX PLAN’
DILG recommended LGUs revisit their vaccination plans.
“Balikan nila ang ila strategies. Are these strategies working? If not, they have to re-think ano nga methodology ang applicable,” Sumagaysay told Panay News.
LGUs must also continue to conduct validation and computation on their target population as other residents were vaccinated in Iloilo City, according to Sumagaysay.
They must also monitor their daily vaccination statistics, she added.
Sumagaysay said it aims to determine how many more vaccines are left or how many more days are needed before their target accomplishment is reached.
She also emphasized that LGUs must have their data management teams composed of two to three encoders.
With such, according to Sumagaysay, daily vaccination accomplishment would be kept track easily.
Setting a vaccination timeline is also highly advisable, Sumagaysay said.
LGUs must also be all-encompassing in their vaccination strategies so as to reach vulnerable populations and those in remote areas.
Here, Sumagaysay lauded the village-based vaccination campaign of PHO.
“Sa mga remote areas, kabudlay or indi accessible sa iban nga pumoluyo ang transportation,” said Sumagaysay.
DILG also noted that there were LGUs with no recorded daily accomplishment.
Sumagaysay cited two reasons: there’s a vaccination but was not encoded, and there’s no vaccination at all.
Vaccine advocacy effort should also be strengthened, especially in areas with low inoculation turnout, according to Sumagaysay.
“Conduct refreshers and trainings sa mga tawo, especially sa barangay nga nagapati bala nga ‘Ay wala na COVID, indi ‘na kalab-ot sa amon’,” she added.
POSSIBLE SANCTION?
President Duterte wants to impose sanctions on LGUs with slow vaccination roll out, said Sumagaysay.
However, during a meeting of the DILG, IATF and Department of Health with governors and mayors, LCEs were given time to reach at least 70 percent of the eligible population by the end of the year.
One of the possible sanctions considered is the issuance of a show-cause order.
However, the possible sanctions would be finalized this week./PN
