ILOILO – Indigent residents in this province or those belonging to the A5 category will be prioritized for vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) using the vaccine produced by American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Moderna.
Yesterday 92,400 doses arrived at the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan town. The province also received 15,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine.
“Mas madamo-damo ang aton mabakunahan,” said Dr. Ma. Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, acting chief of the Provincial Health Office (PHO).
Quiñon said they would prioritize the A1 (healthcare workers), A2 (elderly) and A3 (persons with comorbidities) as well as indigent residents for the Moderna shots while for the A4 category, the newly-arrived Sinovac would be disposed of.
“Basta halin sa COVAX facility pareho sang Moderna dapat A1 to A3 and A5 indigents puede ‘na sia sa aton Moderna. Ang aton Sinovac, since this is government procured, uede ‘ni sia sa A4,” said Quiñon.
The Moderna vaccine is a messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine. It was found by the World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) to have an efficacy of 94.1 percent.
Moderna’s vaccine platform inserts synthetic nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (modRNA) into human cells using a coating of lipid nanoparticles. This mRNA then reprograms the cells to prompt immune responses.
On the other hand, Quiñon noted that many residents have preference in terms of vaccine brands and they were waiting for these to be allocated to their local government units (LGUs).
However, Quiñon said the residents should be aware of the guidelines in administering the anti-coronavirus jabs. She reiterated that now with the presence of the more contagious Delta variant of the virus causing COVID-19, the public need not choose vaccines.
“Damo gusto nga magpili kontani. Indi lang magpili tungod nga the best vaccine is the vaccine that is available,” she stressed.
Quiñon said she has received reports of residents asking their health workers and LGUs about the vaccine brands.
The PHO official has thus appealed for public understanding as the province needs to inoculate the vulnerable sectors first.
As of Aug. 7, some 206,772 individuals, or 17 percent of the target population, received their first dose of various vaccines.
A total of 159,301 or 11 percent, meanwhile, have completed their vaccination.
These include 28,040 health workers, senior citizens – 28,145, person with co-morbidities – 23,552, and uniformed personnel – 557.
Data from the PHO also showed that the 64,821 individuals received the AstraZeneca doses, Sinovac – 80,470, Pfizer – 5,825 doses, and Janssen – 79,007./PN
