BORACAY – Tourism workers here will have early access to vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) once these become available, said Aklan governor Florencio Miraflores.
The provincial government of Aklan has signed a confidentiality disclosure agreement with British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to purchase the vaccines.
Miraflores is eyeing P200 million to fund a mass vaccination, citing the provincial government’s standby credit line with government banks.
“Kailangan may full vaccination program tayo sa mga tourism workers para tuluyang mabuksan natin ang turismo ng Boracay,” the governor stressed.
Aklan hopes to reboot its economy hobbled by the COVID-19 pandemic by further opening Boracay to more tourists. To do this, however, tourists must be assured that the island is COVID-free, thus the prioritization of the island’s tourism workers in the vaccination.
The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus (known as an adenovirus) from chimpanzees. It has been modified to look more like coronavirus – although it can’t cause illness.
When the vaccine is injected into a patient, it prompts the immune system to start making antibodies and primes it to attack any coronavirus infection.
For the whole Aklan, on the other hand, the provincial government targets to inoculate 70 percent of its 420,000 population. The priorities are healthcare workers, indigent families, senior citizens, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries, policemen and soldiers.
Miraflores, however, did not say the number of doses for the advance order with AstraZeneca. The vaccine is cheaper at $3 to 5$ per dose and only needs to be stored at around two to eight degrees Celsius temperature.
People 18 years old and older will receive the coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca.
The vaccine has been shown to be safe in people of all ages, including the over-55s./PN
