The city will submit a coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination plan to the Department of Health (DOH) based on the procedures set by the agency and customized for local implementation.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia said the city officials want to let the DOH know that the city government already has a plan, which will be implemented once the vaccines start to arrive.
“We would like them to know that we have one. If they will not object, we will pursue it to the letter. If they have revisions, we are willing to adjust,” Leonardia said on the sidelines of the simulation exercise of vaccination procedures held at the Barangay Villamonte Covered Court on Friday afternoon.
Spearheaded by the City Health Office, the dry-run showed the areas that will be set up and the series of activities that will take place in every vaccination center.
Each vaccination center will have a waiting, registration, screening, vaccination, monitoring, and exit areas.
After passing the screening for vital signs, the potential vaccinee will then proceed to the educator who will ask for his or her consent. After signing the consent form, the individual will proceed to the vaccinator, who will issue a reminder to report or consult once he or she experiences any signs of adverse event following immunization or AEFI.
Once the vaccine is injected, the vaccinator will put a stamp and sign the individual’s Covid-19 vaccination record card. He or she then goes to the monitoring area for evaluation, management, or possible referral. Afterwhich, the vaccinee either exits or is referred.
Dr. Chris Sorongon, deputy for medical data and analysis of the Emergency Operations Center Task Force, said that the DOH recommended the vaccination procedures and the CHO adopted it based on the local situation.
“When we prepared the plan with our OIC city health officer, we followed the directives and guidelines of the DOH. We customized it for Bacolod City,” he added.
There are plans to set up five mega vaccination centers and 20 community vaccination centers, including private and public schools.
At least 10 teams will be deployed in each vaccination center. Each team will be comprised of a vaccinator, a verifier, a recorder, and an assistant.
“We already submitted our Covid-19 vaccination plan to the mayor. By next week, it will be submitted to the Department of the Interior and Local Government. We are hoping to be the first city outside Metro Manila, next to Pasig, with a vaccination plan approved by the DOH and the DILG,” Sorongon said.
In a related development, Leonardia said that vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. has assured Bacolod that it will be one of the priority cities of the national government for vaccine distribution, during the virtual special general assembly of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) held on Thursday.
The LCP, headed by Leonardia as national president, met with Galvez and Commission on Audit Chairman Michael Aguinaldo for an orientation on the COA guidance on how to avail of Covid-19 vaccines by cities.
(Nanette Guadalquiver via Philippine News Agency (PNA), photo courtesy of PNA)
