Pasig City is the first local government unit (LGU) to have a vaccination plan approved by the Department of Health (DOH) and World Health Organization (WHO).
Mayor Vico Sotto revealed this on Twitter, citing the information given by vaccine czar Carlito Galvez when he visited Pasig on Tuesday to inspect the Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) Team.
“I was told that Pasig is the First LGU with a DOH/WHO-approved vaccination plan,” the mayor said in his Twitter post.
With this distinction, Sotto promised that Pasig’s Beat COVID-19 Task Force will continue to work with the national government agencies, WHO, private medical institutions, and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) to address the pandemic.
Pasig LGU is targeting to inoculate over 5,000 individuals daily once the nationwide rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine begins.
Dr. Joseph Panaligan, Pasig City health officer, said each of the 16 vaccination sites in the city is capable of inoculating 348 patients per day.
The city government said it will prioritize vaccination of frontline health workers, senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), indigent residents, and other frontline personnel.
Moreover, Panaligan disclosed that the LGU is eyeing to utilize public schools, hospitals, and the Tanghalang Pasigueño as vaccination sites.
Panaligan said each vaccination site will be manned by more than 70 personnel, including medical and support staff.
Other officials present in the inspection were testing czar Vince Dizon, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Jose Arturo Garcia, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Epimaco Densing, and DOH Undersecretary Carol Taino.
The Pasig LGU had earlier allocated P300 million for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.