The Iloilo City local government unit (LGU) appealed for additional COVID-19 vaccines following the increase in its hospital bed utilization rate due to the number of severe COVID-19 cases in the city.
In Monday’s (June 21) Laging Handa public briefing, Iloilo Mayor Jerry Treñas said the city has “only vaccinated around 40,000 individuals. That’s not even 10% of our population.”
He said there are cities outside of the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus 8 that need vaccines. He expressed his disappointment, saying, “It’s about time that we should listen also to the local leaders,” following the OCTA Research team’s recommendation to distribute 90% of COVID-19 vaccines in NCR Plus 8.
“It’s the local leader who understands what’s happening to us,” he added.
Mayor Treñas said National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) chief implementer and vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. promised to provide them with 30,000 vaccine doses. He said the vaccine is “the only way” to bring down the number of cases in the city.
“We are from Region 6…But we are also Filipinos, and we are also affected like the people in the NCR Plus 8,” he said.
Meanwhile, he also asked the national government for help, including medical frontliners and medical equipment.
“Ang kailangan namin ay tulong. Kailangan namin ng medical frontliner, mabayaran ang mga ospital ng PhilHealth, mga equipment, vaccine, additional personnel at huwag naman sana kunin,” he said.
Report from Naomi Tiburcio/NGS- jlo
