Ilocos Norte vaccinates more than 25-k folks

By Edison Justin B. Deus

LAOAG CITY -- The provincial government of Ilocos Norte vaccinated more than 25,000 residents against Covid-19, based from data of the Provincial Health Office dated May 28.
    Of the 25,156 residents who received their first or second dose, 13,970, or equal to 90.08% of the eligible Category A1 population were already vaccinated.
    The National Immunization Technical Advisory Group, a group of health experts advising the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), specified priority recipients under A1 as follows: frontline workers in health facilities both national and local, private and public, health professionals, and non-professionals like students, nursing aides, janitors, Barangay Health Workers, etc.
    Moreover, 11,186 belonging to Category A2 or senior citizens aged 60 years old and above have been vaccinated.
    Under Category A3 are persons with comorbidities not otherwise included in the preceding categories, and A4 includes frontline personnel in essential sectors, including uniformed personnel and those in working sectors identified by the IATF as essential during the Enhanced Community Quarantine. In Ilocos Norte, some residents under Category A3 were already vaccinated. The tally is still being consolidated as of writing.
    Meanwhile, the provincial government, through the Office of Barangay Affairs  coordinated with the local chief executive and barangay council presidents to check list of residents willing to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
    Priority sectors included government officials and employees at the city, municipality, and barangay levels; OFWs who need the vaccination to work abroad; ambulant or house-to-house workers with direct exposure to clients; drivers and conductors of air-conditioned public utility vehicles; market vendors, including ambulant vendors and food peddler; beauty and wellness workers with direct exposure to clients; tourism sector personnel with direct exposure to tourists; and media personnel with direct exposure to others.
    The provincial government delegated provincial offices, specifically OBA, the Metro Ilocos Norte Council, Micro Small, and Medium Enterprises Office, Ilocos Norte Tourism office, and Communications and Media Office to assist in the preparations for a wider vaccination rollout.
    At present, the provincial government is establishing more vaccination sites.