ILOILO – The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) is encouraging the general population to avail themselves of vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), especially the second booster shot.
IPHO head Dr. Ma. Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon said the Department of Health (DOH) has given the mandate to start the rollout of second booster shots specifically for those 18 years old and above.
The IPHO has a vaccination site at the provincial capitol lobby from Monday to Friday and on the third floor of Robinsons Place in Pavia town every Saturday.
As for the 42 municipalities and Passi City, the IPHO said it would begin rolling out the second booster shot this week.
The IPHO recently received 60,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines from the Department of Health (DOH) that can be used in primary doses and booster shots.
“Sang una ang aton ginhatagan sang second booster were 18 years old and above nga immunocompromised. Pero subong tanan na nga 18 years old and above puede na gid makapa-second booster,” said Quiñon.
From April 2 to 22, the province registered 52 cases, or 3.71 cases per day – higher than the 34 cases or two cases per day from March 26 to April 8.
As of Monday, April 24, there were 51,509 confirmed cases in the province, 53 of which were active, 49,792 recovered, and 1,629 deaths.
The 53 active cases were from Oton, Pavia, Pototan, Lambunao, Janiuay, Sara, Dumangas, Tigbauan, Calinog, Concepcion, Dingle, Ajuy, Igbaras, Maasin, Badiangan, Anilao, San Rafael, Tubungan, Santa Barbara, Passi City, Dueñas, Estancia, Leganes, and Lemery.
From April 15 to 30, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases placed the province under Alert Level 1 classification.
“Pero we are happy to note the province of Iloilo is still on Alert Level 1 because ang aton nga average daily attack rate is 0.18, or below one percent, and ang healthcare utilization rate is 37.52 percent, or below 50 percent,” explained Quiñon.
As of April 17, a total of 1,377,950, or 94.27 percent, in the province received their first dose; 1,292,571, or 88.43 percent, received their second dose; 290,054, or 19.84 percent, received their first booster; and 25,216, or 1.73 percent, received their second booster.
The province aims to inoculate 1,461,756 of its population.
“Subong na ang kahigayunan, open ang capitol for vaccination for those willing to get the primary doses and booster shots,” said Quiñon.
In its guidelines, the DOH said all healthy adults aged 18 and older may now receive their second booster shot — the fourth dose all in all, including the first two primary doses—six months after their first booster.
The general public could still get their second booster even if the recommended gap from the first booster has been exceeded.
AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna are the vaccines that will be used for the second booster.
Meanwhile, healthcare workers aged 50 and above and persons with comorbidity may get their second booster jabs after more than three months if they were inoculated with AstraZeneca and after four months if Pfizer or Moderna.
Immunocompromised adults, for their part, may continue to acquire their second booster dose after more than three months from their first booster./PN
