Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. will visit Iloilo City next week to bring solutions to the surging number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections in the metropolis.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas, in an advisory on Wednesday, June 23, said Roque and Galvez called and informed him that they are looking for solutions to the city’s lack of vaccines, medical personnel, COVID-19 medicines, and equipment like ventilators and high flow oxygen cannula; and the unpaid bill of the Philippine Health Insurance System to various hospitals in the city amounting to almost P1 billion.
“They also informed me that they are coming to Iloilo City early next week with the needed supplies and solutions. I will wait for them to come here so that I will know how these problems can be resolved for my beloved Ilonggos,” Trenas said.
The local government and various sectors in the city have been calling for help from the national government as cases of the COVID-19 continue to surge.
On June 21, in a conference call with Senator Christopher Lawrence Go, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, and Galvez it was agreed that the city will receive 11, 700 doses of Pfizer and 20,000 doses of Sinovac on June 22 and additional 50,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines next week, the mayor said.
However, the fresh supplies that arrived for the city on Tuesday only included 10,000 vials of Sinovac and 975 vials or 5, 850 doses of Pfizer vaccines.
Treñas said that if the promised 50,000 doses will arrive next week, the city government will be opening four vaccination centers at the Central Philippine University (CPU), Iloilo Convention Center (ICON), Ateneo de Iloilo, and University of San Agustin (USA) to accommodate vaccinees.PNA
