24,362 frontliners in region took 95% of vaccines
THE first dose of Sinovac and AztraZeneca vaccines allocated to Region 1’s medical frontliners have been served to 24,362 front line health workers in both public and private hospitals as of March 30.
This was revealed by Dr. Rheuel Bobis, medical officer IV and COVID-19 focal person of the Department of Health-Center for Health Development in Region 1 during a virtual press conference moderated by the Philippine Information Agency.
Bobis said vaccinated were health workers in government and private hospital, including clinics, rural health units and dispensaries listed in Group A.1 classification in Pangasainan, La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte.
The inoculation of the medical sector continues in the four provinces although Dagupan City has already started vaccinating senior citizens and persons with comorbidities who are in A.2 group using the AstraZweneca vaccine.
Bobis said the vaccines sent to Region 1 by DOH national office had a high utilization rate of 95 percent plus, even as he clarified amid concerns that the National Capital Region plus bubble is being given top priority in vaccine allocation because of its high surge of COVID-19 cases. Region 1 will continue to receive its allocation of vaccine.
He said that only the first dose of the vaccines were given and their second dose of either Sinovac or AstraZeneca are being kept at the cold storage facility of DOH-CHD Region 1 in San Fernando, La Union.
He added that, based on their monitoring, only minor side effects were felt by the initial inoculated frontliners, i.e., thickening of the wall of upper arm, irrigation and reddening of the vaccination sight, slight fever and momentary body pain which did not require extra medical attention as these vanished quickly.
Asked by newsmen if all the eligible sectors in the region will get their vaccines soon, he said the allocation and period of vaccination will depend on the arrival of vaccines coming into the country.
Meanwhile, Bobis revealed that active COVID-19 cases have increased slightly in the region but not even remotely close to the level of surge in the NCR plus
As of March 30, there were 143 new cases and 51 cases that recovered in the region, raising the number of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic started to 9,09 while 7,749 had recovered and 317 did not survive. (Leonardo Micua)
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