BY MATÈ ESPINA
THE UNABATED rise of COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental warranted the vaccination of local government chief executives were the number of COVID-19 cases are high.
Department of Health (DOH) records show that 264 new cases were added to Negros Occidental over the weekend, bringing the total of active cases to 2,181.
Bacolod City mayor Bing Leonardia had a full media coverage of his vaccination over the weekend. As a senior citizen, the mayor opted to get AstraZeneca saying he is “morally bound” to use that vaccine despite reports of blood clot incidents as this is the brand that the city government ordered.
Mayor Bing said Astra is “legit, reliable and reasonably priced.” Bacolod was among the first to place an order of 650,000 doses of Astra for 76 percent of the population in order to achieve herd immunity. However, what the mayor had, came from the Covax facility as Bacolod’s supply may come in sometime July or August yet.
Bacolod vice mayor El Cid Familiaran meanwhile said that they are giving health workers a deadline to avail of the vaccination program, otherwise, they will give these shots to those who are next in the priority list. He said there are still many frontliners who have not signed up as they are waiting for other brands of vaccine since the last shipment only brought in the China-made, Sinovac.
Ironically, while there is a very low acceptability rate for Sinovac, many doctors here opted to get that and perhaps it’s because the process used was the traditional way of creating vaccines and the 28 days in between the doses, whereas Astra’s second dose will be given after eight weeks.
What is foremost on the minds of those who were initially inoculated with Astra is whether there are forthcoming stocks for their second dose. My sister who is a medical doctor and immunocompromised because of a previous heart surgery had Astra. But she brushed the question aside and feels assured that the first dose has given her ample protection.
Other chief executives who are scheduled for jabs are Gov. Bong Lacson, Mayor Neil Lizares of Talisay, Bago Mayor Nico Yulo, Sipalay Mayor Gina Lizares, Binalbagan Mayor Alejandro Mirasol, and Murcia Mayor Gerry Rojas.
I am not sure about the protocol with Mayor Rojas because he was just recently infected with COVID-19 and whether there is a window between infection and vaccination. Cadiz City’s Mayor Salvador Escalante already got vaccinated as well.
Mayor Bing who is also the chair of the League of Cities in the Philippines said that he sent a letter to the president, appealing for a reclassification and inclusion of LCEs as frontline workers.
“Cities are natural epicentres of the pandemic due to highly dense population,” the mayor said and as such, risk is unavoidable for these chief executives.
Meanwhile, with the travel moratorium lifted, the province and Bacolod are scheduled to receive travellers provided they will allow themselves to be swabbed upon arrival.
The process is different between the though. Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer said all residents of Negros Occidental will be swabbed and placed in a holding room until their results are in. Since the province has its own molecular lab, results are expected to be released in less than 24 hours.
Only upon getting negative results will they be allowed to go home to their respective LGUs. Bacolod on the other hand will ferry residents to the Bays Center for swabbing and released to their families. If results turn out positive, the city government will fetch them from their residences and transferred to quarantine facilities.
Hmm. I guess the process of the province is more logical as it prevents exposure to others until cleared. Why would you send home anyone with an unknown status when it can cause probable spread in the domicile? Even if you give caution to isolate these travellers in their homes until results are out, chances are, it may not be followed, especially if the homes are not conducive for isolation.
If we believe the national government, there is a light at the end of the tunnel after the announcement that we have completed contracts with vaccine-makers to provide a steady supply within the year.
NIATF chair, Gen. Carlito Galvez said these are Sinovac for 25 million doses, of which a million already arrive, Novavax, the makers of Covovax which has a clinical trial for immunocompromised patients promised 30 million doses, while AstraZeneca will deliver 17 million doses purchased by the local government units and the private sector will start coming in by June.
Other contracts inked were with Moderna for 13 million doses and Gamaleya for 20 million doses with half a million of that for delivery this April. Johnson and Johnson’s one dose vaccine supply agreement is already in the pipeline and talks with Pfizer is also ongoing.
With the supposed arrival of these other brands, I bet this will once again delay acceptability for whatever vaccine is currently here, especially for Sinovac which has the lowest acceptability rate among COVID-19 vaccines.
At the end of the day, I continue to believe what the experts say – the best vaccine is whatever is available./PN
