AstraZeneca vax turned over to Iligan

ILIGAN CITY, Mar. 12 (PIA)--The Iligan City Health Office (CHO) received 72 vials of AstraZeneca vaccines from the Department of Health-10 (DOH-10) Thursday, March 11.

These vials are equivalent to 720 doses as each vial contains 10 doses.

CHO Emergency Operation Center (EOC) Cluster Manager Dr. Belinda Lim said the AstraZeneca vaccines are specially allocated for medical frontliners who are already senior citizens and those health workers who did not qualify for the Sinovac vaccine.

“Kining mga AstraZeneca doses, these are for senior citizens kay ang Sinovac kabalo man ta 18 to 59 years old ra siya. Kining AstraZeneca is given to senior citizens. Katong mga senior citizens, katong mga wala mu-qualify sa Sinovac mao nang tagaan og AstraZeneca,” she explained.

[These AstraZeneca doses are for senior citizens because we all know that the Sinovac is just for 18 to 59 years old only. This AstraZeneca is given to senior citizens. Those senior citizens, those who did not qualify for Sinovac will be given AstraZeneca.]

A total of 72 vials of AstraZeneca vaccines arrived in Iligan City. These vaccines can cover up to 720 doses as each vial contains 10 doses.

Lim then shared that the AstraZeneca vaccines will be delivered to various COVID-19 referral hospitals here such as the Iligan Medical Center Hospital (IMCH), Mercy Community Hospital, Inc. (MCHI), and Adventist Medical Center-Iligan (AMCI).

The MCHI and AMCI will have 5 vials or 50 doses each of the AstraZeneca doses while IMCH will receive its share after they fully consume all the delivered 158 Sinovac vaccines from the Amai Pakpak Medical Center. 

Following the arrival of this new brand, the inoculation for the second batch of health workers has already commenced covering the 158 and 720 recipients of the newly delivered Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines respectively. 

“The second batch is 158 Sinovac plus 720 AstraZeneca… Once we give the number, hutdon gyud na siya ayha ta matagaan sa sunod na batch [that should all be fully consumed before they are given for the next batch,” Lim stressed.

She further added that more vaccines are expected to arrive in the city but the brand is still uncertain. (CRG/ PIA-ICIC)

Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)