Lawyer James Sayson, vaccine czar of Lapu-Lapu City, says that the IATF and the National Vaccine Operations Center have recommended placing the city under Alert Level 1. | Futch Anthony Inso
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — The National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) have already recommended that Lapu-Lapu City be placed to COVID Alert Level 1.
This was confirmed by Lawyer James Sayson, vaccine czar of Lapu-Lapu City.
Sayson said that Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, chief pathologist of the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7), had informed him of this recent development and that the recommendation only awaited the approval of President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Gi-recommend na ta for level 1. Hopefully, before the weekend, ma-approve na ta sa presidente for level 1,” Sayson said.
(We are recommended for level 1. Hopefully, before the weekend, the President will approve us for level 1.)
To recall, the city fails to be included from the local government units (LGUs) placed under alert level 1 on March 16, 2022, due to its low turnout of senior citizens inoculated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine.
Sayson, however, said that if they would base their data on the national target, the city had already reached 71 percent of senior citizens that had already been vaccinated.
But for local targets, Sayson said that they had already reached 82 percent of fully vaccinated senior citizens.
“Vaccinated nato si 25,871 nga senior. Unya if we based it sa actual nato sa city nga number of senior citizen, that will constitute 82 percent. But if we based it sa national, kadtong ilang projected target nga 36,265, naa ta sa 71 percent,” he added.
(Our vaccinated for seniors are 25,871. And if we based it in our actual number of senior citizen in the city that will constitute 82 percent. But if we based it in the national, their projected target is 36,265, we are at 71 percent.)
“Now, what does it tell us? Qualified na ta because kay ang ato rang kinahanglang i-achieve is 70 percent ra man,” he said.
(Now, what does it tell us? Qualified na ta because kay ang ato rang kinahanglang i-achieve is 70 percent.)
Placing Lapu-Lapu City to alert level 1, Sayson said, would be beneficial to the city’s economy, since establishments could now operate at 100 percent of their capacity.
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