BACOLOD City – The race for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is officially on.
Local government units (LGUs) in Western Visayas are doing their best to get their constituents immunized against the viral disease.
So far, the highly-urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod and provinces of Negros Occidental and Iloilo were among the LGUs that ramped up plans and preparations for vaccine acquisition and inoculation.
Some earmarked budgets for their COVID-19 vaccination programs while others begun procurement and pre-registration procedures.
On Wednesday, President Rodrigo Duterte allowed LGUs to enter into tripartite agreements, which involve the LGUs, national government and the vaccine manufacturers.
With Duterte’s greenlight, LGUs must coordinate with the National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 so prices of vaccines are “standardized,” and that “there will be no duplication of vaccinated individuals.”
ILOILO
The Iloilo provincial government allotted an initial budget of P95 million for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved the request of Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. to enter into a multilateral agreement to procure 271,000 doses of AZD1222 Vaccine developed by British pharmaceutical firm AztraZeneca.
AstraZeneca pegged its price at only $5, or more or less P500 for two jabs of its COVID-19 vaccine.
Administered by intramuscular injection, the vaccine uses as a vector a modified chimpanzee adenovirus.
According to Defensor, the province is prepared to implement its vaccination program. He will issue an executive order next week for its implementation.
Cold storage facilities are ready to be installed at the Iloilo Sports Complex and district hospitals, he added.
“We already want to start with the vaccination program. We have the chance and we will do it,” he said.
The frontliners, senior citizens, and those with comorbidities will be the first to be vaccinated.
The governor said the initial budget was based on the policy of the national government as well as the acceptance of the public to the vaccination program.
“This is a developing program and the vaccine industry is also developing,” Defensor said.
BACOLOD CITY
Yesterday, Mayor Evelio Leonardia signed both tripartite deal and confidentiality agreements with AstraZeneca as part of the procurement process of vaccines co-developed with Oxford University’s Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group.
“We have to get the vaccines as soon as possible and even if we just start with AstraZeneca, we can now say that the process for getting it is rolling,” Leonardia said.
The mayor, however, did not mention the amount allocated by the city government.
He was authorized by the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) headed by Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran.
In December 2020, Leonardia formed the League of Cities of the Philippines Committee on Vaccine Availment for the city mayors to strategize efforts and ensure their constituents have early access to quality and affordable vaccines.
The mayor likewise formed a local body tasked to plan a vaccination roadmap.
This will prepare Bacolod to implement and manage the massive health program, said Leonardia.
In Executive Order 83 issued on Dec. 22, 2020, the mayor named the composition of the Bacolod City COVID-19 Vaccination (CoVac) Council.
According to Leonardia, the CoVac Council will plan, supervise and implement programs and activities related to the city’s COVID-19 vaccination roadmap. The goal is to have the widest and most realistic vaccination coverage possible.
ILOILO CITY
Some 200,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s anti-coronavirus are being eyed for inoculation to a hundred thousand Ilonggos as the vaccination requires two doses.
On Jan. 4, Mayor Jerry Treñas inked a confidentiality agreement with the British-Swedish vaccine maker.
The SP adopted two resolutions with one of these ratifying the agreement.
Meanwhile, the second resolution passed by the city’s legislative body authorized Treñas to represent the city government in negotiating and concluding agreements; to sign, execute and deliver such agreements and other pertinent papers, instruments, and documents, and to do all acts and things necessary, proper, and convenient under the premises for and in behalf of Iloilo City with AstraZeneca
Treñas said the city government is ready to spend P200 million for the vaccine procurement via tripartite agreement.
He earlier bared the city government’s plan to vaccinate 100 percent of the metro’s population.
Such coverage, according to the mayor, is necessary to achieve herd immunity, a concept in vaccination wherein enough people in a specific area are protected against infectious disease.
Iloilo City has a population of about 474, 250.
Treñas said those who will refuse will not be forced to submit to receive the anti-coronavirus shots.
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL
The provincial government of Negros Occidental set aside P30 million for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines mainly for medical frontliners.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson signed a non-disclosure agreement with AstraZeneca.
He said the budget will be sourced from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management fund, but he acknowledged it is a “very little” amount.
Lacson said the earmarked fund will be just on top of the vaccine allocation that the province will get from the national government.
Lacson said efforts to vaccinate at least the health workers and the vulnerable groups in the second quarter of the year are being set in motion.
COORDINATION
The Department of Interior and Local Government directed LGUs to coordinate with the National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 regarding vaccine procurement to prevent duplication of inoculation.
“We thank the LGUs for augmenting the efforts of the National Government. We are on track to purchase some 184 million doses from several manufacturers and the procurement by LGUs will be a big help to inoculate more people,” Interior secretary Eduardo Año said in a statement.
Año said proper coordination will make sure that prices of COVID-19 vaccines are “standardized,” and that “there will be no duplication of vaccinated individuals.”
“The procurer of the vaccine is the national government so that DOH will still monitor this. DOH will still lead in the acquisition as well as the national government because vaccines may need additional doses,” Ano added in Filipino.
Vaccine czar and NTF chief Carlito Galvez Jr. announced that the country is eyeing to purchase 148 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines this year./PN
