TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The local government will retain the P30 million it earlier earmarked for the purchase of quality vaccines to inoculate a larger part of the city’s population once there will be available vaccines from the pharmaceutical companies.
Mayor Darwin C. Estrañero disclosed that the city government is having difficulty looking for pharmaceutical companies that could supply the vaccines to be purchased to help increase the number of the city’s population that could be immediately inoculated as part of the efforts to achieve herd immunity.
He stated that there are no pharmaceutical companies directly selling vaccines to local governments as these have to pass through the national government under the stewardship of the national task force thus the local government will make another attempt to procure the needed vaccines.
Based on available data, with the city’s population of more than 115,000, at least 80,000 will have to be vaccinated to achieve a 70-percent herd immunity.
Mayor Estrañero explained that the vaccines will further increase the number of residents who will be vaccinated to help in containing the further spread of the deadly virus among the people.
Earlier, the city government earmarked some P30 million from available funds to purchase any available vaccines to inoculate more people in the city beyond the percentage needed to achieve the projected herd immunity and further increase the protection of the city’s population from the threat of the deadly virus.
Tabuk City owns the distinction of being the first local government to establish and operate its own molecular laboratory to significantly reduce the turn-around time in the release of swab test results of suspected and probable COVID-19 cases not only from the city but also from the whole province and nearby communities.
The local chief executive emphasized that the city government will continue to look for ways on how the city can acquire additional vaccines over and above the vaccines being provided by the national government to help in further improving the implementation of inoculation in the city.
He stipulated that Tabukeños should not be left out in the ongoing mass vaccination program of the national government thus the city is striving to look for alternatives in procuring more vaccines for its constituency.
The city mayor emphasized that it is the health and safety of the people that matters most for them to regain their normal life which had been heavily impacted by the ongoing health crisis towards the eventual revival of the local. By HENT
