TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The city intends to allocate some P30 million to purchase quality vaccines to augment the vaccines against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) provided by the national government to help in the realization of the desired herd immunity among the population the soonest that will contribute in efforts for the gradual and safe transition to new normal.
Mayor Darwin C. Estrañero disclosed the city government allocated an initial P10 million from its first supplemental budget while the remaining balance of P20 million will be allocated in the succeeding supplemental budget to complete the required amount for the procurement of the vaccines.
At present, the city’s population is more or less 130,000 and that the previously projected herd immunity is around 70 percent of the population.
He pointed out that the vaccines to be procured by the city government will be used to augment the vaccines provided by the national government for the identified priority sectors to further increase the city’s herd immunity to approximately 81.5 percent so that the city will be in a better position to contain the rapid spread of the virus once there will be a transition from the prevailing various levels of community quarantine to the new normal.
“We will initially work on the available budget provided for the purchase of the additional supply of vaccines. We will surely look for other sources of funds to purchase more vaccines in the future once our health authorities will recommend the procurement of vaccines to augment what will be made available because what matters is the health and safety of our constituents,” Mayor Estrañero stressed.
According to him, the city is willing to forego the implementation of previously identified priority development projects so that there will be available funds for the implementation of anti-COVID 2019 pandemic response because primordial attention must be given to the health and safety of the people to avoid the possible congestion of the health facilities and the local health care system from being compromised aside from the stress it will cause the frontliners.
The city mayor underscored it is still best the people in the city remain healthy and safe so they will remain productive in their respective endeavors that will help sustain their families.
He claimed that since the onslaught of the pandemic, the city government had been circumspect in the utilization of its existing resources to make funds available funds to enhance the city’s anti-COVID response for the health and safety of the residents in the city’s 43 barangays.
The city chief executive reiterated the need for the residents to comply with the implementation of the basic health and safety protocols such as the mandatory wearing of face mask and shield, the practice of physical distancing and the practice of personal hygiene and regular disinfection to prevent them from contracting the deadly virus that might compromise their health condition.
By HENT
