Early this year, the National Vaccine Operations Center (NVOC) set a target of 1,266,154 eligible individuals to be vaccinated for Region I. In coordination with all stakeholders and in partnership with all national agencies, local government units (LGUs), the region was able to vaccinate 854,556 individuals, putting the Ilocos Region at 1st place nationwide."Based on the trend of our vaccination activities, most of our jabs this January are 2nd doses, followed by 1st doses and booster does. While our first dose jabs are plateauing, we are ensuring the full vaccination of our recipients and booster doses to all eligible individuals," DOH Center for Health Development 1 Regional Immunization Program Manager John Paul Aquino said.
In the previous year, region I had an average daily jabs of 120,000 a week. But at the start of the year, due to collaborations and expansions of the vaccination program implementers, the average jabs significantly increased to 300,000 a week. Some of the notable expansions were the involvement of private facilities as vaccination sites, "Barangayan Bakunahan" wherein from a fixed site, local government units re-strategized to mobile vaccination, mobile fixed post, and house-to-house vaccination. Also, the vaccination process was simplified which provided what is convenient to the public.
Sustaining the gains and commendable efforts of everyone involved in the implementation of National COVID-19 Vaccination Program, the Department of Health as the leading agency continue to communicate that all available vaccines provided with Emergency Use Authorization from the Philippine Food and Drugs Authority are safe and effective.
