Article by:
Franck Dick Rosete
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Department of Health – Northern Mindanao (DOH-10) on Thursday advised local government units (LGUs) in the region to visit their far-flung areas and launch mobile vaccination missions.
In an online briefer, Dr. Jose Llacuna Jr., DOH-10 director, made the suggestion in response to Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año's statement stressing that most of the unvaccinated individuals are residents from hinterland communities.
Llacuna, however, acknowledged the initiative of most of the LGUs where they provide transportation for residents from isolated barangays going to the vaccination sites.
"In our experience, the LGUs are the ones that transport their residents (to vaccination centers). However, if that’s not possible, we tell them we go there because they deserve nothing less from the government," he said.
Llacuna also advised the LGUs to use air-conditioned vehicles to preserve the required temperature and integrity of the vaccines.
In the city, the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) mobile vaccination team has been continuously conducting vaccination rollouts, not just in isolated villages here but also in some villages of Misamis Oriental province.
An update said the mobile vaccination team has conducted a three-day vaccination rollout in far-flung FS Catanico village that started Wednesday.
Data from the DOH-10 as of February 8 showed that 2,712,122 individuals have received their first dose. Of that number, 2,641,747 individuals have received a second dose. The region's target population is 4,103,170.
The DOH-10 also recorded 235,592 who were vaccinated with a single-dose vaccine, and 213,020 were administered with booster shots.
Clearance for kids
Meanwhile, the DOH-10 urged parents to present a medical clearance from a pediatrician for their children aged 5 to 11 years old with comorbidities and special needs before the vaccination scheduled on February 14.
Dr. Emma Pilar Imperio, medical officer of the DOH-10 family health cluster, noted that such requirement was listed on the guidelines by DOH central office to ensure the safety of the children.
"Based on the guidelines, for children with comorbidities and special needs, it is required for them to be seen by their pediatrician for medical clearance if they will be cleared for the vaccination. That is one of the major preparations to be sure that vaccines that will be given to them are safe," Imperio said.
Llacuna has again assured the public of the well-established efficacy and safety of the vaccines for the youngest pediatric group.
To date, only the Pfizer vaccine has been given the authorization to be used for pediatric vaccination.
"We are not the first (to use the vaccines). There are already activities or actions even outside of the country to prove the safety and efficacy of the vaccines we are giving," he said.
Dr. William Bernardo, acting city health officer, echoed Llacuna's pronouncement and reiterated that all Filipinos are automatic members of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) under the Universal Healthcare Law.
"We are under Universal Healthcare, which means that everybody is an automatic member of PhilHealth. If you still don't have PhilHealth, we can always expedite if you are going to register but you are all eligible for PhilHealth coverage," Bernardo said.
The DOH-10 said the region has a target population of 730,947 for five to 11 years old based on the data from the Philippine Statistics Authority -10.
Out of the total pediatric target population, 657,852 are without comorbidities while 73,094 have comorbidities. (PNA)
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