Most local government units (LGUs) are evidently well-prepared for the arrival of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccines in the country, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Saturday.
Duque marked the LGUs preparedness and readiness to receive the vaccines with “more than satisfactory if not close to excellent.”
“The level of preparation reflects the commitment, reflects the sincerity, the desire to skillfully executed the plan and the evidence is there,” Duque said at the sideline interviews during the visit of the officials of the Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) Team, the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 and Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) as the Navotas Polytechnic College in Navotas City.
The Navotas City government has laid down its city-wide immunization plan for Covid-19.
Meanwhile, Duque commended the city’s efforts to respond to the public health crisis as it laid down its local immunization plan for Covid-19.
“Navotas City is really worth acknowledging and recognizing because of its success in its Covid-19 pandemic response,” Duque said. “This is not empty words and I say this not coming from empty space but I’m saying this because the numbers reveal for themselves and reflect the effectiveness, commitment, and dedication of the city government of Navotas in leading its people towards an absolutely effective response to Covid-19 pandemic.”
Duque said the city’s positivity rate is at 2 percent which is lower than the national positivity rate of about 5.4 percent.
“I salute you Navotas City for a job well done,” he said.
Navotas City’s daily attack rate is at 1.53, while it registered a negative 7.5 growth rate for the last two weeks, Duque said.
“Just to contextualize, when you talk at the average daily attack rates in the number of cases over the total population but we’re framing it within two weeks period,” he said. “And it’s 1.53 [percent] and this is really at the lower level of the range because 1-7 if you are within that n [reach], you are in moderate risk, and [when] 1, you are low-risk and if you are beyond 7 certainly you are high risk.”
He also lauded the city’s impressive healthcare utilization rate at zero percent.
“Ibig sabihin wala silang Covid patient admitted sa kanilang ospital–I was trying to wake myself, sabi ko: parang ngayon lang ako nakakita ng zero percent na healthcare utilization rate (That’s means they don’t have a Covid patient admitted in their hospitals–I was trying to wake myself saying: This is my first time to witness a healthcare utilization rate at zero percent),” he said.
Meanwhile, Duque lauded the local government for effectively pushing the government’s five strategic pillars: the Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR).
He also commended Navotas residents for becoming disciplined in adhering to the public health standards.
He said the city government has been doing efficient efforts to augment the country’s pandemic response from massive prevention interventions to early detection including aggressive testing, isolation, and treatment.
“We saw the fruits of your collective labor and this is going to be a model worth emulating by the other NCR cities,” he said.
He also thanked the city’s medical professionals for their untiring services and contributions to the city’s effective Covid-19 pandemic response.
Meanwhile, Duque cited the city’s fatality rate at 1.7 percent which is lower than the national case fatality rate of about 2 percent.
“So again that is an objective metric reflecting on how well the response has been,” he said.
The city government is targeting to vaccinate 2,000 of its residents daily, once the vaccine supplies become available.
Meanwhile, the city health official reported that less than 2,000 residents have signed up to get the vaccine.
IATF co-chairperson, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles also urged the residents not to worry about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
He said the government will not allow the usage of the vaccines without going through the stringent screening and evaluation of the experts. The vaccines should be approved by the country’s Food and Drug Administration. (PNA)
