The medical community in South Cotabato province has offered its services to help fast-track the ongoing mass vaccination against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the area.
Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. said Monday the South Cotabato Medical Society (Socomed) has created a team of medical workers that may be tapped to assist the vaccination rollout in the province’s 10 towns and lone city.
He said the volunteers, composed mainly of doctors, are currently on standby and ready to help with the expansion of the inoculation activities.
“We have enough standby volunteers right now that we can deploy as needed,” he said in his radio program “Ang Gobernador kag ang Katawhan (the governor and the people.”
The governor said the vaccination activities remain manageable but city and municipal health offices will need additional help later on as more vaccines are expected to arrive in the province in the coming months.
On Monday, the Integrated Provincial Health Office received an additional 30,512 doses of Covid-19 vaccines intended for eligible individuals under priority groups A1 (frontline health care workers), A1.8 (overseas Filipino workers), A2 (senior citizens, and A3 (persons with comorbidities).
It comprised 4,600 vials or 23,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen, 6,512 doses of Sinovac’s CoronaVac, and 1,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines.
A report from the Department of Health-Region 12 said the single-dose Janssen vaccines was set aside for persons under A1 and A3 in geographically isolated and depressed areas, and A1.8 or overseas workers who are scheduled for deployment within four months.
The 6,512 doses of the CoronaVac are for other individuals under A1, A2 and A3 while the 1,000 doses of AstraZeneca are intended for those under A2 in Koronadal City.
Tamayo said these vaccines were part of the 50,830 additional doses for the province this month committed by National Task Force against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. in a meeting here last week.
He said more vaccine supplies will be delivered to the area in the next three to four months to cover other priority groups, especially the essential government and private workers.
“We’re hoping to reach our target to have all eligible individuals fully vaccinated before Christmas,” he said.
Source: Philippines News Agency