District, private hospitals in Region 1 receive COVID-19 vaccines
By Caren Grace R. Cabanayan
Representatives from the Provincial Health Office of La Union and the Cold Chain Management Team of DOH CHD-1 ensure that the required temperature of the COVID-19 vaccines is well-maintained before the turn over from the DOH CHD1 to PHO of 1,063 doses of Sinovac on March 9, 2021. (CGC)
SAN FERNANDO CITY, Mar. 9 (PIA) — District and private hospitals across Ilocos Region will start receiving COVID-19 vaccines for their health care workers on Tuesday.
This is after 25,600 doses of vaccines arrived at the Department of Health – Ilocos Center for Health Development (DOH CHD1) on the evening of March 8 which consisted of vials of Sinovac and AstraZeneca.
According to Regional Director Valeriano Lopez, “Mayroon tayong prioritization. Una ay ‘yung eight referral hospitals. Ngayon ay pupunta na tayo sa ibang hospitals. The tertiary level, yung DOH, at iba pang government hospitals at pati private hospitals na rin.”
The DOH-CHD1 targets to dispatch all the available vaccines as soon as possible.
“Ang gusto kasi natin ay magamit agad, so we will be looking at this batch of vaccine for immediate dispatch,” he said.
On Tuesday morning some 1,063 vials of Sinovac were turned over to the Provincial Health Offices (PHO) of La Union and some 508 vials for PHO Ilocos Norte.
A total of 2,171 doses were also delivered to the City Health Office of Dagupan City in Pangasinan.
These vaccines will then be distributed to various district and private hospitals across the provinces.
Compared to the first batch of 14,400 doses of Sinovac vaccines which waere delivered last week, more medical frontline workers are expected to get vaccinated with said new set of serums.
“Mag-prioritize uli tayo, from the doctors to the nurses to those allied professions directly involved. Sila muna yung uunahin natin. If we have excess, we will look at the other health workers,” Lopez said.
Meanwhile, he said that based on their survey, more health personnel have already signified their interests of getting their shot.
He said, “As we go along our vaccination ay medyo dumadami na yung may gusto. Medyo may agam-agam pa rin pero they are now asking for additional stocks.” (JCR/VHS/CGC, PIA La Union)
