ILOILO CITY—The Department of Health (DOH) has identified Iloilo and Bacolod City as the two priority areas in Western Visayas region for the distribution of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines.

“Technically, we call Iloilo and Bacolod as the two focused areas,” said DOH-6’s Chief for Infectious Diseases Dr. Jane Juanico.

“But we do not yet know if the DOH Central Office was referring to Iloilo City or Iloilo province,” Juanico told Manila Bulletin in an interview on Monday, December 21.

Iloilo City is the capital of Western Visayas, while Iloilo province has 42 towns and the component city of Passi.

Once the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available in the region, Juanico said the first ones to be vaccinated will be frontline health workers. These would include doctors, nurses and other medical staff of hospitals and medical facilities, who have direct contact with those who tested positive for COVID-19.

In the same manner, senior citizens and the indigents will also be among the top priority for the COVID-19 vaccinations.

Second to be prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine will be those working in barangay (village) or town health facilities, including barangay health workers.

Third in the COVID-19 vaccine priority list will be workers for national government agencies, who have been augmenting services for COVID-19 responses both with the DOH and local government units. 

Included in this category are personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).