ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. is willing to be inoculated first with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine to boost the public’s confidence in the shot expected to arrive in the second quarter of 2021.
“Indi ako mag-vaccinate sa probinsya kung indi mismo matuslok sa lawas ko,” Defensor stressed yesterday.
The provincial government secured 270,000 doses of AZD1222 Vaccine through a tripartite agreement with British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca and the national government.
Administered by intramuscular injection, AZD1222 has an average efficacy of 70 percent. It uses as a vector a modified chimpanzee adenovirus.
Once the vaccine is ready for domestic use, Defensor said he will be the first to show that he had gotten the shot to encourage Ilonggos to get immunized.
“Ang importante whatever we inject to our people safe kag makasiling kita nga willing kita usaron ina,” said Defensor, who earmarked P95 million for the purchase of AZD1222 Vaccine.
With over 3,000 COVID-19 cases and 103 deaths, local chief executives in the province are scrambling to obtain vaccine supplies in hopes to put an end to the pandemic.
Defensor underscored the importance of education campaign that will explain the purpose, benefits, and risks of vaccination against the viral illness.
He cited a recent survey revealing that nearly 50 percent of Filipinos are unwilling to get inoculated for COVID-19 mainly due to concerns about the safety of the vaccines.
According to the poll, others believe vaccines are not needed to cure the severe respiratory disease, or may not be free and expensive.
To help the public make an informed decision, Defensor mandated the Provincial Health Office to embark on a massive education campaign.
“The best strategy is mapa-intindi mo ang tawo para magpasugot sila,” Defensor said.
While waiting for the arrival of sthe vaccines, the provincial government, according to Defensor, is currently developing its vaccination road map.
Among the priorities for inoculation are healthcare workers such as those in capitol-run health facilities, local government unit contact tracers, barangay workers including members of the Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams, barangay nutrition scholars, and barangay tanods, among others.
Defensor said cold storage facilities are ready to be installed at the Iloilo Sports Complex and district hospitals.
He will also summon all of the local chief executives in the province for a series of discussions.
Now, the governor is studying the possibility of allowing local government units buy vaccines for their residents.
Some municipalities have already allotted millions of pesos to fund their respective vaccination programs.
In Ajuy, Mayor Jett Rojas said his town already set aside P10 million to buy vaccines.
It was on Jan. 10 when Defensor signed a tripartite agreement with Astrazeneca and the National Task Force (NTF) vs COVID-19.
The pact greenlighted by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan secured the province 270,000 doses of AZD1222 Vaccine priced at $1,350,000 or roughly P64.9 million.
AstraZeneca’s vaccine is one of the cheaper vaccines included in the data released by the Senate committee on finance chair Sonny Angara in December. It is only worth P610 for two doses per person.
In terms of efficacy rate, researchers earlier noted the efficacy rate for two doses – with the first dose at half strength – reached 90 percent. While a combination of two full-strength doses only resulted in 62 percent efficacy.
According to a January 9 study released by The Lancet, a weekly general medical journal, AstraZeneca’s overall vaccine efficacy rate was 70 percent./PN
