The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infection Disease (IATF-EID) has favorably endorsed the inclusion of the province of Iloilo as a priority area in the National Vaccination Program.
Secretary Carlito Galvez, IAFT Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar, said the endorsement was forwarded to Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, chair of the National Vaccination Operations Center.
This developed after Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. told Galvez that Iloilo province and Iloilo City “are contiguous with one another and are of the same economic importance.”
Iloilo City is a priority program in the National Vaccination Program while the province is not.
“We cannot segregate Iloilo City from Iloilo province as we are of the same economic importance and we have the same number of cases which are increasing at an alarming level considering that we are closely contiguous with one another,” Defensor wrote Galvez last month.
Defensor also told Galvez that the province is ready to accept an allocation of Pfizer vaccines as it can comply with its storage and handling requirements.
The University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UPV) has agreed to allow the province to use their storage facility capable of complying with Pfizer’s requirements.
Galvez praised Defensor for his efforts in managing the spread of COVID-19 in the province.
“We laud your dedication and commitment in serving your constituents and showcasing innovation and ingenuity in managing the cases in your province,” Galvez wrote Defensor.PR
