Senator Grace Poe prodded on Monday, June 21, the government's pandemic task force to heed calls of Iloilo province and other local government units for vaccines and more resources amid the surge of COVID-19 cases in their areas.

In a statement, Poe said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases should also prioritize other coronavirus "hotspots" outside the National Capital Region in the vaccine distribution.

"A number of hospitals in the provinces are gasping for air as COVID cases surge almost beyond their health system's capacity," Poe said.

Hospitals, she lamented, were already "stretched way too thin as medical personnel, rooms, beds and every piece of equipment are being exhausted to attend to patients".

"While there aren't enough vaccines yet for everybody, those who need them most should get them first, including our people in the provinces like Iloilo," she appealed.

Poe cited the Iloilo Medical Society that is seeking the help of national government over the need for more medicines, vaccines and medical frontliners, as hospital beds "are filled to the brim and due reimbursements from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. are delayed."

The group also asked for increased vaccine allotment to prevent more coronavirus infections.

Iloilo province and Iloilo City are among the 19 areas placed under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until the end of June.

The province was elevated to a stricter classification from the least stringent modified general community quarantine status (MGCQ) due to the spike in COVID-19 cases.

Poe said the increasing COVID-19 cases in the provinces should prompt the IATF to "spread the vaccine fast.'

"There is no greater pain than seeing patients who otherwise can be saved breathe their last due to lack of medical and health support," she pointed out.