“These people are health workers who participated during the measles mass immunization. These people catering immunizations before will be the ones most likely to engage in the Covid-19 immunization,” Dr. Ashley Lopez, City Covid-19 Task Force focal person, said over Davao City Disaster Radio on Thursday.
He said the vaccines from Pfizer are expected to reach the city by the end of next month with the city government and the Department of Health (DOH), which administered the training, are working on the logistics, especially vaccine storage.
This developed as aside from health workers’ training, the CHO has also finalized the master list of priority groups for the program.
The DOH prioritization based on the World Health Organization Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (WHO SAGE), there are two groups eligible for the vaccination—the Priority Eligible Group A and B.
The Priority Eligible Group A includes frontline health workers, indigent senior citizens, remaining senior citizens, remaining indigent population, and uniformed personnel (AFP, PNP, PCG, BFP, CAFGU).
Group B includes teachers, social workers, other government workers, other essential workers outside health, education, social welfare sectors, socio-demographic groups at significantly higher risk other than senior citizens and indigenous people. overseas Filipino workers, and other remaining workforce.
“We have already prepared the list. Pero daghan pa tag buhaton. We have to prepare for the coming of the vaccines in Davao City,” he said, adding that the allocated COVID-19 Pfizer vaccines from the national government are expected to arrive in late February this year.
Lopez said CHO personnel, especially those assigned in District Health Centers will be the frontline implementers of the vaccination program.
The training, which the Department of Health (DOH) administered, covered the overview of the Covid-19 Vaccine Deployment and Vaccination and eight on microplanning, profiling and data management, supply and cold chain management, risk communication and community engagement, addressing psychological barriers to vaccination, immunization, managing adverse events following Covid-19 vaccination and immunization waste management.
“The platform we’re going to use will be standardized with the national government. Kung unsay gamit sa ubang syudad o probinsya, mao sad atong gamiton. Standard atong platform for registry,” Lopez said.
He was referring to the COVID-19 electronic information registry (CEIR) where all registries of people who will sign up for the immunization program will be submitted to the DOHregional office which will send it to its central office.
Lopez added: “Our immunization system should be well- coordinated. Whether if naay mga voluntary sa private sector mag-provide og vaccine, it must be coordinated with DOH and CHO so that mahapsay ang dagan (If the private sector will donate vaccines, it must still be coordinated with the DOH and CHO to smoothen the process).”
Lopez said the city government is also looking into proposals where to conduct the vaccination considering the possible adverse effects that may arise in its implementation.
Lopez said they need to secure a huge venue for the immunization since the district health centers are small for the program. Securing ambulances for venues where the vaccination activities will take place also needs to be taken into account.
Holding it in gyms or combining the resources of the health centers and hospitals are among the options being deliberated.
“Sa hospitals, it would be better kay equipped sila (It is better to also have it in hospitals since they are fully-equipped). We will come out with a better process and implementation. Venues of the immunization are still under deliberation,” Lopez said.
