ILOILO City – For local government units (LGUs) to be “fully equipped” in community vaccination, the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) distributed Visayas COVID-19 Vaccination Operation Center (VVOC) manuals to local chief executives in Western Visayas.
According to Assistant Secretary Anthony Gerard “Jonji” Gonzales, OPAV created the VVOC manual in line with the directive of Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino.
The manual aims to give “effective and efficient” processes in the implementation of the vaccination program for the Visayas in line with the National Vaccination Program.
The distribution was led by Gonzales and Retired Major General Melquiades Feliciano, deputy chief implementor for the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) in the Visayas at the Iloilo Convention Center in Mandurriao district yesterday.
The 42-page manual contains a comprehensive guide in establishing a systematic, orderly and standardized method in the mass rollout of vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“‘Yong manual is for community vaccination for the LGUs para si LGU maging ready,” said Gonzales.
For example, Iloilo had one million people to inoculate against COVID-19, it would be hard for the LGUs to plan out, unlike now that they can still manage the priority groups, Gonzales pointed out.
The OPAV also distributed VVOC manuals to central and eastern Visayas.
The OPAV first visited Negros Occidental to give out the handbooks.
Meanwhile, the provinces of Iloilo and Guimaras received the manuals yesterday. Antique is scheduled today; Capiz on Thursday; and Aklan on Friday.
Once all LGUs in Western Visayas have received the manuals, the region will be considered ready for community vaccination, Gonzales said.
“Though hindi talaga natin masasabi kon kailan darating ‘yung bulk ng bakuna. There are a lot of vaccine arriving in May and June but hindi talaga alam kung kailan mag-start ‘yung vaccination kasi it’s Manila ang nag-de-decide,” Gonzales added.
The manual has these specific objectives:
* optimize the significant roles of the OPAV and the IATF Visayas in expediting a unified and harmonized implementation of vaccination programs in the three Visayas regions
* highlight the significance of the public and private partnership in the swift and smooth roll-out of the vaccination program
* share best practices across the three regions
Based on the VVOC manual, a provincial/municipal or city vaccination operation center must be created “to supervise and implement” its contents.
The operation center shall be led by the local chief executive.
Their functions include:
a. oversee and take appropriate actions on the administrative, operational and medical concerns of the Vaccination Operation Center (VOC)
b. see to it that vaccines are properly handled and managed from the main hub/storage to the city/ municipal storage site down to the vaccination sites in the community
For provincial level:
* administrative and logistical supports that could be extended to the component cities and municipalities in the vaccination program
* provide rents or purchase of two mobile storage units, one main and one reserve to transport the vaccines from the main storage to the vaccination venues
* assist in the identification and establishment of vaccination venues particularly in the 4th and 5th class municipalities
* monitor and supervises vaccination activities in the component cities and municipalities
* document and reports vaccination activities to the Regional Vaccination Operation Center./PN
