ILOILO City – According to the Department of Health (DOH) central office, 84,224 doses of vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were sent to this city. Mayor Jerry Treñas, however, said the city government received only 66,544 doses beginning March. Where did the 17,680 doses go?
“I am asking DOH Region 6 for an explanation,” according to Treñas yesterday.
In a letter to Regional Director Emilia Monicimpo, the city’s chief executive stressed: “We cannot shortchange the Ilonggos who have been waiting to be vaccinated.”
He hoped this matter “will be resolved immediately as time is very important.”
“The lacking (sic) 17,680 (doses) is very important in protecting more lives,” said Treñas.
The 66,544 doses that the city government received, according to the mayor, were made up of 49,664 Sinovac vaccines and 16,880 AstraZeneca vaccines.
“It is only proper that we demand for what is actually afforded us,” Treñas wrote Monicimpo.
On Tuesday night, Dr. Marie Jocelyn Te of DOH-6 offered an explanation: “Nagkadto ‘ni (17,680 vaccine doses) sa mga hospitals in the city.”
“Ang first priority naton nga Group A are frontliners sa mga hospitals…because they (hospitals) are located in the city, na-count sia as Iloilo City,” said Te over DYOK Aksyon Radyo Iloilo.
These doses, instead of being released to the city government, were forwarded to hospitals.
“Ang natabu, from DOH may allocation ‘na ang mga hospitals. Kay ara sa master-list nga under sa city, so ginhatag na lang direkta,” Te said.
This move made more sense, she added.
“Para indi na mabudlayan [nga] magkadto pa sa city (government), tapos ang city (government) pa ma-distribute sa hospitals. Doble karon ang ila ubra. Also, basi ma-overwhelm ang cold room nila,” Te added.
DOH-6’s accounting of the vaccines, according to Te, is per province and highly urbanized city in Western Visayas, whereas vaccines sent to hospitals belonging to these areas are counted as part of these area.
What the City Health Office did was only account the doses that the city government received.
According to Treñas, “Foremost of our concern is the vaccination of our target population of 450,000 to give much better protection for everyone against COVID-19.”
The city government, he stressed, “is more than ready to vaccinate, but we have to have additional vaccines.”
Yesterday, according to the mayor, “Together with 5,850 doses of Pfizer vaccines, we received 20,000 doses of Sinovac. The Pfizer vaccines will be given as first doses prioritizing seniors and those with comorbidities. We will do the rollout at the soonest possible time.”/PN
