BAGUIO CITY– Some 19,092 health workers in essential frontline services in the Cordillera Administrative Region(CAR) have been vaccinated with their first dose of Coronavirus Disease vaccines, as of March 24.
This is equivalent to 98.92 percent utilization rate based on the 19,300 doses of Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines delivered to the region, Department of Health – CAR Regional Director and chairperson of the Regional Vaccination Operation Center (RVOC) Dr. Ruby Constantino reported during the First Quarter Full Council Meeting of the Cordillera Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CRDRRMC) on Thursday.
Of the 19,300 vaccines delivered to the DOH-CAR, 9,300 doses are Coronavac (Sinovac) while 10,000 doses are AstraZeneca vaccine.
Per demographics, 8,582 of the vaccines were deployed in Baguio City; 1,179 in Abra; 1,697 in Apayao; 2,221 in Benguet; 1,138 in Ifugao; 1,820 in Kalinga, and 2,455 in Mountain Province.
The 19,092 vaccinated eligible population comprise 59.80 percent of the 31,924 master listed frontline health care workers in the Cordillera under Priority Group A1.
Constantino shared that as the region awaits for more vaccines, completion of the master listing for the rest of priority A namely; A2 – Senior Citizen, A3 – Adults with co – morbidities, A4 – Essential Frontline Workers including uniformed personnel, and A5 – Indigent Population must be fast tracked, in partnership with the local government units, the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Information and Communication Technology.
Meantime, DOH – CAR Assistant Regional Director Dr. Amelita Pangilinan, in a kapihan media forum, encouraged everyone to submit themselves for vaccination and take whatever Food and Drug Administration – approved COVID – 19 vaccines available when their turn comes. “It is free, safe and effective”, Pangilinan said.
On the COVID –19 regional situationer, Pangilinan reported that in terms of the 2– week Growth Rate, Cordillera is under moderate risk epidemic level with 2WGR of 35 percent. In terms of the Average Daily Attack Rate, the region is under high epidemic risk with an ADAR of 9.33 percent per 100,000 population.
With the recent surge of cases in several provinces/cities in the region, Pangilinan advised everyone to strictly follow quarantine protocols and guidelines imposed by the National Inter – agency Task Force and the local government units to reduce or further mitigate the spread of COVID – 19 virus in the community.
She also reiterated DOH call for the LGUs to exhibit urgency in implementing actions to prevent further case surges and push down newly detected daily cases.
“Our immediate priority is the prevention of increase in severe/critical cases and most important, to save lives”, Pangilinan stressed. **JDP/CCD-PIA CAR
