Profiling of recipients of vaccine to start ‘soon’

THE Mandaue City Vaccine Board (MCVB) is finalizing the program for its electronic immunization registration to be used in profiling coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine recipients.

Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) president Ernie Manatad, MCVB chairman, said the Department of Health (DOH) has an electronic immunization registration, but this is still not available to local government units (LGUs).

Manatad said the MCVB based all the data required for the registration on the forms and guidelines provided by the health department.

Once the Management Information Systems Office (Miso) has come up with a link, the MCVB can proceed with the profiling. Once it is done with profiling, the local link will be sent to the DOH, Manatad said.

He said priority recipients for the vaccine are frontliners, senior citizens, persons with disability, teachers and members of the military.

He said barangays will conduct the profiling and the vaccination.

Manatad said they have yet to identify the number of priority recipients.

However, based on the national directive, they will target 70 percent of the population to acquire herd immunity, he said.

The MCVB chairman said the City is willing to procure additional vaccines on top of the vaccines the National Government will provide.

Meanwhile, Manatad said the City Health Office has yet to identify vaccination teams and vaccination sites.

Aside from city personnel, vaccination teams will also be composed of barangay personnel and health workers, he said.

He said they will ask the medical schools to help with the vaccination.

Manatad said they are considering barangay gyms and schools as vaccination sites.

As for the vaccine brand, Manatad said they are still discussing it.

The DOH has explained to LGUs that vaccines available for procurement will undergo a thorough examination and must be approved by the Food and Drug Authority before these can be administered to the public.

In addition, Manatad said they are aware that different people will react differently to the vaccine.

He said they will organize a composite team for post-vaccine surveillance that will respond to any untoward reaction of vaccine recipients.

Despite the City’s assurance that the vaccines will be safe, he said they expect some recipients to refuse to be vaccinated. / KFD