A total of 26,442 health care workers in Western Visayas have received their first dose of the COVID-19 Coronavac (Sinovac) and AstraZeneca vaccines as of March 28, Dr. Jane Juanico, Department of Health Western Visayas infectious disease cluster head, reported Monday, March 29.
Juanico, in a virtual presser, read a DOH 6 statement stating that the 26,422 comprise 27.9 percent coverage out of the 94,770 masterlisted eligible health care workers in the region.
The DOH 6 Center for Health Development assures that all eligible health care workers will also be vaccinated as soon as additional vaccines allocated for the region arrive, the statement said.
As of March 28, the region has received 29,189 doses of Coronavac (Sinovac) and AstraZeneca.
The DOH 6 reiterated that it follows the prioritization framework in identifying who receives the COVID-19 vaccines first considering the scarcity of supply in the global market.
The prioritization primarily ensures that we will be able to protect and preserve our healthcare system as we continue to battle this pandemic, it said.
Under this framework, prioritized to be vaccinated are health care workers in COVID-19 referral hospitals, public and private infirmaries providing COVID-19 care, isolation and quarantine facilities that cater to COVID-19 suspect, probable, and confirmed cases, close contacts, and travelers in quarantine, remaining hospitals including facilities of uniformed services not catering to COVID-19 cases;
Government-owned primary care based facilities such as health centers, rural health units, barangay health stations, birthing homes and local health offices to include members of the Barangay Health Emergency and Response Teams (BHERTS), contact tracers and social workers, stand-alone facilities, clinics, and diagnostic centers, and closed institutions and settings such as nursing homes, orphanages, jails, detention centers and drug treatment and rehabilitation centers.
The next to be prioritized are senior citizens, people with co-morbidities, frontline personnel in the essential sector, and the remaining indigent population.
While COVID-19 vaccination is underway, the public is still advised to follow the minimum public health standards by wearing face mask and face shield, maintaining at least one-meter distance, and frequent hand washing, Juanico said.*