MORE than 500,000 Dabawenyos will be prioritized for the initial phase of the Covid-19 vaccination in Davao City.
Davao City Health Office (CHO) acting head Dr. Ashley Lopez, on Tuesday morning, February 16, presented the summary of those who will be prioritized in the City Government's vaccination program, which is now at 537,820 individuals as of February 8.
Lopez said these individuals are classified under Priority A, composed of frontline health workers, senior citizens, indigent population, and uniformed personnel.
Based on the summary breakdown, there are 16,677 frontline health workers (Priority 1) who will be vaccinated, followed by senior citizens (Priority 2 and 3) with 77,189, then indigent population (Priority 4) with 432,549, and uniformed personnel (Priority 5) with 5,258.
In addition, Lopez said the city also prepared a sub-prioritization plan, where workers in frontline health facilities including those in training such as students and interns are included.
Those included in the sub-prioritization plan will be coming from Covid-19 referral hospitals dedicated hospitals, including from the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC); private hospitals who are catering to Covid-19 cases; quarantine and isolation facilities; government-owned community based primary care facilities; remaining private healthcare facilities; and other health care institutions.
On the master listing on the pre-vaccination, the CHO was designated in gathering of the list of healthcare workers; while the Office of the Senior Citizen Affairs (Osca) for the senior citizens; City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) for the indigent population; and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) for the uniformed personnel.
Lopez said the vaccination team will be composed of a supervisor (physician), registration and screening personnel (physician/nurse/midwife), counselor (allied professionals), vaccinator (nurse/midwife), and two recording and documentation personnel (midwife/barangay health worker/health staff/volunteers).
The Local Adverse Effects Following Immunization (AEFI) composite team will also be deployed composed of a monitor officer (paramedic/nurse/midwife), and surveillance personnel (midwife/pharmacist).
There will be three groups on both the vaccination and AEFI team per site.
This is in accordance with the Davao City Covid-19 Immunization Program ordinance, which passed in the 19th City Council on February 2.
Other prioritized groups under Group B include all teachers and school workers, government workers, essential workers who are similarly providing basic services during the pandemic as determined by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), socio-demographic groups at significant higher risk other than senior citizens such as persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), persons with disabilities (PWDs), indigenous people and those living in high-density areas.
Also included in Group B are those eligible students in all levels upon the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (Nitag), Filipino migrant workers who reside in another country for a limited period of employment that was not vaccinated, and all workforces as determined by DOLE, DTI, and the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
All remaining Filipino citizens not mentioned in Groups A and B are part of Group C.
The ordinance also states that the immunization program will run until at least 70 to 85 percent of the population in the city is immunized for the purposes of herd immunity.
Davao City Covid-19 Vaccination Program head Dr. Josephine Villafuerte recently announced that the city government has started its registration for residents who want to avail themselves of free Covid-19 vaccines.
Villafuerte said in a radio interview on Thursday, February 12, that Davao City residents can now visit their respective health districts to sign up for a slot ahead of the mass vaccination.
But she said only those 18 years old and up are qualified to register, while pregnant women are not permitted to take the vaccine.
Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio previously said the city is targeting to vaccinate an estimated 1.2 million Dabawenyos out of the estimated 1.8 million total population in order to achieve herd immunity.
The City Government recently conducted the fourth simulation exercise on the transport of vaccines and vaccination activity in the city which was attended by National Task Force Covid-19 Response Chief Implementor Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr., Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr., Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, and Cabinet Secretary Carlo Nograles.
The city is currently conducting the exercise despite the absence of the vaccine in order to determine the readiness of the city to conduct the vaccination. The activity also aims to improve vaccine logistics as the initial doses are expected to arrive within the month.