ILOILO PICAO

THE ILOILO provincial government called on town leaders to hasten the hiring of more than 1,000 medical personnel who will augment the coronavirus vaccine rollout, with only 26% of the target population fully vaccinated as of Nov. 3. 

An initial batch of new hires signed their contracts over the weekend, according to the provincial government.  

Iloilo Gov. Arthur R. Defensor, Jr. signed an order in end-October for the contractual employment of 1,092 vaccinators, composed of 156 medical officers, 312 nurses, and 624 nursing attendants.   

They will be paid by the provincial government but the 42 towns and one component city, Passi, are encouraged to hire among their residents for easier deployment.     

“The hiring of medical staff to augment your vaccination teams(s) shall take effect immediately or until Dec. 31, 2021, after which we will evaluate if there is a need to extend their services,” reads the order signed on Oct. 29. 

The daily rates are P2,627.50 for medical officers, P1,146.91 for nurses, and P600.64 for nursing attendants.   

Department of Health (DoH) data as of Nov. 3 show the province had administered the first vaccine dose to 548,901 individuals or 38% of the target which is 70% of the 2.05 million population.   

Those who are fully-vaccinated or have received two jabs stood at 374,462 or 26% of the target.   

Aside from designated main inoculation sites, the provincial health office has also been implementing vaccination activities at the communities. The province also started the vaccination of minors aged 12-17 on Nov. 5.   

The province is currently under an alert level 2, one of the most relaxed quarantine categories.   

As of Nov. 6, DoH data show the province had 2,430 active coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases out of the 34,105 recorded since the start of the pandemic. There were 30,695 recoveries and 969 deaths.   

Data for the province excludes the urban center Iloilo City, which is administered independently. — MSJ

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