The City Health Services Office has prepared its vaccination plan in anticipation of the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines expected this month.
The initial vaccination plan will involve deployment of 20 teams per 10,000 eligible population, according to CHS Officer Rowena in a report she presented to Mayor Benjamin Magalong during their management committee meeting on Feb. 2.
Galpo said the vaccines are expected to be delivered anytime this month although the CHSO has not been informed yet of the brand and the quantity of vaccines that will be delivered to the city.
Last month, the city government, Department of Health, the National Task Force on Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases, and AstraZeneca has signed an agreement for the procurement of 10,000 doses of the vaccine. The city government is also expecting the arrival of vaccines from Pfizer and the national government-procured Sinovac.
Two freezers have recently been delivered in Baguio as storage for vaccines that require below zero temperature.
The CHSO has identified 16 health centers, three private hospitals, one government hospital, and some work places as possible vaccination sites.
Priority sectors to be vaccinated are health workers first, followed by senior citizens, uniformed personnel, captive population (such as grocery workers, pharmacists, market vendors, and jeepney drivers), and the general population.
In the draft timeline of the CHSO, the department should have started with its information campaign about the vaccine. Between Feb. 13 to 20, vaccination simulations will be conducted.
Galpo has informed the mayor the CHSO has proposed to the DOH to allow that simulations and even vaccinations be done at basketball courts as these are large enough and can ensure that protocols on physical distancing are observed when vaccination begins.
DOH protocols emphasize that vaccination should only be done in hospitals or health centers.
Vaccination is also expected to start by Feb. 22.
Magalong has requested the CHSO to prepare a plan containing details such as the barangays that will first receive the vaccines, potential number of people who will be vaccinated in a certain barangay, handling, storage, and delivery, among others.
The mayor said the CHSO should input into their timeline the pace by which health workers will start vaccination. “You should also consider spoilage of the vaccines. Supply is limited. Nothing should go to waste,” the mayor said. – Rimaliza A. Opiña
April 25, 2024
