ILOILO – The provincial government received over 2,000 doses of bivalent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines from the Department of Health (DOH) central office and the rollout may begin next week.
The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) said these would be rolled out to health workers and frontliners first.
“Nag-abot na ang 390 vials equivalent to 2,430 doses of bivalent vaccines. We will dispense these in accordance with the guidelines,” said Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, IPHO head, on Friday, June 23.
The distribution will prioritize health workers from 13 district hospitals, including the Iloilo Provincial Hospital in Pototan town, particularly those working in the COVID-19 ward, triage, and emergency room, and public health workers in Rural Health Units (RHUs), among others.
“Sila lang anay kay sila ang most exposed sa COVID-19. So, gin-preliminary na naton sila, nagtawag na ako sa Hospital Management Office kon pila ang health personnel tapos nagtan-aw man ako data sang amon nga public health. There are about 1,170 health workers plus ang aton hospital personnel,” Quiñon added.
Once all health workers are inoculated, the IPHO will distribute the bivalent vaccines to the interested public.
The 2,430 doses for Iloilo were part of the 390,000 doses of bivalent COVID-19 vaccines donated by the government of Lithuania.
Vax guidelines
On March 31, 2023, then DOH officer-in-charge Dr. Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire issued Department Memorandum No. 2023- 0178 setting interim guidelines on the management and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine Pfizer bivalent.
“The COVID-19 vaccine Pfizer bivalent rollout shall employ a phased approach to prioritize the protection of healthcare workers and of the most vulnerable population and healthcare capacity, while expansion of stock availability is being pursued,” read part of the guidelines.
For Phase 1
* The COVID-19 vaccine Pfizer bivalent shall be given as a third booster dose for individuals aged 18 years old and above, belonging to priority groups A1 (health workers) and A2 (senior citizens) at least four to six months after inoculation with a second booster dose.
* Facility-based implementation shall be observed for the pilot rollout in select sites in all regions such as in the hospitals/ and/or health facilities (city health offices, rural health units).
For succeeding phases
* Other population groups shall be made eligible, subject to availability of stocks and other changes in context, such as relevant regulatory authorization, technical recommendations and executive directions.
* Expansion of eligibility and changes thereto shall be released through a separate issuance.
As of June 19, 1,378,105 individuals in the province received the first dose, second dose (1,292,702), first booster (290,191), and second booster (25,799).
The province has yet to reach its 70 percent target population of 1,461,756./PN
