The Department of Health-Cordillera has allocated P8.4 million vaccination support fund to boost the Covid-19 vaccination and deployment program in the Cordillera.
The DOH, in an online meeting with the health offices of Baguio City, Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province, announced the local government units are set to receive P1.2M each for mobilization and advocacy. Th amount is part of the P29.5M sub-allotment received by DOH-CAR for the Covid-19 vaccination program implementation in the region.
Aside from financial assistance to LGUs, the sub-allotment will also be used for training expenses, supplies and materials, professional services, environment and sanitary services, travel expenses, medicine expenses, and transportation and delivery.
Vaccination in the region started last March 5.
As of the April 5 data of the DOH Regional Vaccination Operations Center (RVOC), there are 24,568 eligible population from Priority A1 and 729 from Priority A3 that were vaccinated in the region.
The RVOC data also shows that the 1,300 eligible population from Priority A1 that were vaccinated during the first tranche of vaccination in the first week of March have already received their second dose of Sinovac vaccine.
Dr. Anachris Kilakil of the RVOC reiterated vaccination must only move to the Priority A3 list if all the eligible population in the Priority A list have all been vaccinated.
Priority Group A1 are frontline workers in health facilities, both public and private; health professionals and non-professionals such as barangay health workers. Under A2 are senior citizens and A3 are persons with comorbidities.
Kilakil also reminded officials of the local health offices to submit their priority A3 list which will serve as basis for vaccine allocation and deployment from the National Vaccination Operations Center to the RVOC, then from RVOC to the provincial/city implementing units.
The vaccination program is temporarily moving from priority list A1 to A3 as the present available vaccine which is Sinovac is not recommended by the Food and Drug Administration for priority A2. Inoculation of senior citizens will resume once new supplies of AstraZeneca and other types of vaccine that are eligible for their use are available. – Carlito C. Dar
