BAGUIO CITY – – The Department of Health Center for Health and Development – Cordillera (DOH – CAR) has allocated a total of P8.4 million vaccination support fund to boost the rollout of the Coronavirus disease (COVID – 19) vaccination and deployment program in the different provinces of Cordillera, including Baguio City.
The DOH – CAR, in an online meeting with the health offices of Baguio City, Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province, announced that each of them is set to receive P1.2 million for mobilization and advocacy, and they are required to immediately submit their program proposals. This is part of the P29.5M sub-allotment received by DOH – CAR for COVID – 19 vaccination program implementation in the region.
Aside from financial assistance to LGUs, the sub-allotment will also be used for training expenses, supplies and materials, professional services, environment and sanitary services, travel expenses, drugs and medicine expenses, and for transportation and delivery.
COVID-19 vaccination in the region started last March 5 and at present, Sinovac vaccines have been allocated to the different implementing units in the region for the first dose of the remaining Priority A1, the second dose of those vaccinated (by Sinovac) during the first tranche of vaccination and then to Priority A3 – adults with controlled co –morbidities.
As of the April 5 data of the DOH – CAR Regional Vaccination Operations Center, there are already 24,568 eligible people from Priority A1 and 729 from Priority A3 that were vaccinated in the region.
The RVOC data also show that 1,300 eligible individulas from Priority A1 that were vaccinated during the first tranche of vaccination in the first week of March have already received their second dose of the Sinovac vaccine.
Dr. Anachris Kilaki of the DOH – CAR Regional Vaccination Operations Center reiterated that vaccination must only move to the Priority A3 list if all the eligible ones in the Priority A list have all been exhausted or vaccinated.
As approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Priority Group A1 for vaccination are frontline workers in health facilities, both public and private; health professionals and non-professionals such as barangay health workers. Under A2 are senior citizens aged 60 years old and above while under A3 are persons with comorbidities.
Kinaki also reminded the immediate finalization and submission of the Priority A3 list of each locality that will serve as basis for the vaccine allocation and deployment from the National Vaccination Operations Center to the RVOC, then from RVOC to the provincial/city implementing units.
The vaccination program is temporarily moving from priority list A1 to A3 as the present available vaccines which are Sinovac are not recommended by FDA for Priority A2. Inoculation of adults 60 years old and above will resume once new supplies of AstraZeneca and other types of vaccines that can be administered to them are available.** JDP/CCD-PIA CAR
