The Ilocos Norte Provincial Health Office will allow walk-ins at mega vaccination sites and rural health units during the three-day National Vaccination Days to start on December 15.
This is to achieve their goal to vaccinate around 148,000 residents for the second round of massive inoculation drive dubbed “Bayanihan, Bakunahan”.
Dr. Josephine Ruedas, provincial health officer, on Tuesday urged all unvaccinated residents to get their protection against Covid-19.
“We are now allowing walk-ins for as long as they do not choose the vaccine brand,” Ruedas said in a press conference as she reported the province has enough supply for all its eligible population.
Ilocos Norte is one of the 14 provinces in the country that exceeded the target of having more than 50 percent of its eligible population being fully vaccinated during the first round of the vaccination drive.
Ruedas said Ilocos Norte is now classified under Alert Level 2 which means less restrictive border control measures following a steady decline of confirmed positive cases recorded daily.
“I am thankful to all volunteers—both from the public and private sectors —who are extending assistance to the province in order to achieve the mass protection of people against Covid-19,” she said.
For those who are still hesitating to get the jab, Ruedas reiterated that all vaccines granted with Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are safe and effective.
Meantime, the administration of booster shots has started in the province from A1 (front-liners), A2 (seniors), and A3 (adults with comorbidities) categories.
First on the list include employees of the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center, Gov. Roque B. Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital, and other district hospitals in the province.
Source: Philippines News Agency