ILOILO CITY – Mayor Jerry Treñas requested the national government for more vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for priority sectors in this southern city.
Treñas, in his letter to National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 chief implemeter Carlito Galvez Jr., requested for 105,250 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
Over 6,000 healthcare personnel under the A1 priority group have yet to be inoculated.
“Given the rapid mutations of the virus and emergence of new COVID-19 variants, local chief executives (LCEs) in Western Visayas are determined to expedite the vaccination process to reduce the number of deaths, sustain our economy and achieve herd immunity. The efforts of our fallen frontliners must not be for naught,” Treñas stressed.
Data from the City Health Office showed that a total of 31,900 senior citizens were eligible under the A2 priority population, and 16,065 individuals below 60 years old with co-morbidities fall under A3 priority group.
Citing the Department of Health 6 (DOH-6) data, the city mayor further noted that only 35,394 of the 124,994 master-listed eligible population in Priority A1 have been inoculated, for an accomplishment rate of 28.32 percent (for the first dose).
Treñas added that as of April 11, 2021, only 7.49 percent have received their second dose, notwithstanding the directive for simultaneous vaccination of the first three priority groups.
“It is worth mentioning that ‘red’ areas in Western Visayas which equally suffer from surge of new cases and local transmission, have yet to receive sufficient provision of COVID-19 vaccines to finish A1 priority group,” Treñas lamented.
He added that while the city empathizes the gravity of the present situation in NCR Plus in view of the highly contagious new variants detected thereat, they are in unison that fast-tracking the rollout and more allocation of vaccine doses – not only in NCR Plus but the rest of the regions – must be implemented to achieve herd immunity at the earliest possible time./PN
