LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The municipal government explained that the P10 million earlier set aside to purchase additional vaccines is still intact and is awaiting the shift in policy to allow the same to be used for its prescribed purpose.
Mayor Romeo K. Salda stated that the provincial inter-agency task force for the management of emerging infectious diseases advised the municipal government to put up hold the planned purchase of vaccines because of the existing policy and the insufficient supply of vaccines in the world market.
Under the existing policy of the national inter-agency task force for the management of emerging infectious diseases, provinces, cities and businesses are the ones that are authorized to enter into a tripartite agreement with the national government and the vaccine suppliers for the procurement of vaccines in bulk which has been preferred.
The local chief executive claimed that health authorities advised local governments to await the delivery of more vaccines in the different localities as the national government is about to secure more vaccines from various suppliers, thus, the steady supply of vaccines to effectively and efficiently roll out the government’s vaccination program will be ensured.
According to him, the municipal government is very much willing to purchase more vaccines for the residents but the plan to do so is restricted by the policy of the inter-agency task force for the management of emerging infectious diseases that is why people should understand that while the funds are readily available for the said purpose, the policy does not permit the local government to do what it wants with the money just to acquire the additional supply of vaccines primarily due to the governing policies.
Earlier, the municipal government allocated some P10 million purposely to purchase additional supply of vaccines to speed up the ongoing vaccination of the priority sectors and the general population to achieve the desired population control and herd immunity of the populace the soonest.
Mayor Salda asserted that the situation is already beyond the control of the municipal government and what could be done is to make the appropriate representation, through the provincial inter-agency task force, for the national government to lift the limitations imposed on those that are authorized to purchase vaccines from the global suppliers.
He emphasized that the decision of the local government to open an additional vaccination center at the Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) premises is just part of the initiative to expand the ongoing vaccination following the arrival of additional supply of vaccines that will allow the municipality to vaccinate more interested residents compared to the very slow pace of vaccination in the previous months primarily because of the limited supply of vaccines provided by the national government.
He asserted that the local government wants to vaccinate as many residents as possible because of the growing interest of the people to be inoculated but the primarily problem is the availability of steady supply of vaccines from the national government agencies to help in achieving herd immunity of the populace probably by the end of the year. By HENT
