Monday, February 22, 2021

Strict entry to Ilocos Sur; 56 Covid cases

VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur — The provincial government is still implementing very strict entry of people coming into Ilocos Sur to avoid local infections.
    Gov. Ryan Singson said Monday the province still has 56 active cases, 11 percent of them coming from returning residents.
    Singson said Salcedo town and Candon City still have local transmissions while Cabugao has recorded the highest number of infections last week with 55.
    To date, however, Singson said there are only 14 active cases in that Northern Ilocos Sur town.
    As this developed, Gov. Singson said some doctors and medical experts have studied thoroughly which vaccine the province will use, saying the decision to choose AstraZeneca vaccine is not his own choice.
    Singson said they had already closed a deal to purchase 410,576 doses of vaccines with AstraZeneca, highly-recommended by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
    He said all residents of Ilocos Sur will be vaccinated as the provincial government had already allotted P200 million to purchase the vaccine.
    The governor said they have strategic planning for the province which is systematic, saying they will give priority to health workers, senior citizens, among others.
    “We have vaccination plan to immediately implement once the vaccines arrive,” he added.
    According to Singson, the national government committed to shoulder around 50 to 70 percent of the vaccine needed in the country, this means, he stressed, that “we need only to produce 30 percent.”
    He said the provincial government will shoulder 15 percent of vaccine expenses while municipalities will shoulder 15 percent.
Singson said there is no problem with other rich towns and cities that may have the financial capabilities to fund it.
    Based on reports, EMA’s committee for medicinal products for human use has announced the “AstraZeneca and Oxford University vaccine is safe and effective at preventing infection in people from 18 years of age, based on the basis of data from four clinical trials conducted in the UK, Brazil, and South Africa.
    The two doses can be given between four and 12 weeks apart.”

No comments:

Post a Comment