LOCAL government units (LGUs) and regional line agencies (RLA) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) were sought to help in informing the people about the National Vaccination and Deployment Plan and highlighting the importance of vaccination in the country’s fight against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

During a recent virtual orientation on the National Vaccination and Deployment Plan, Department of Health (DOH)-CAR Regional Director Dr. Ruby Constantino stressed that the successful implementation of the plan is “not only for ourselves but for all the Filipino people.”

Constantino, in a report from the Philippine Information Agency (PIA)-CAR, said the vaccination plan for the country is not the sole responsibility of the national government, reiterating what National Action Plan Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito Galvez said that it must be a whole of government and whole of nation approach.

She outlined the importance of every sector’s support, from the regional to the municipal/city, down to the barangay level, for the successful implementation of the Covid-19 vaccination and deployment plan in the region.

Constantino, added the PIA-CAR report explained there is no definitive treatment yet for Covid and cases continue to rise as what the Cordillera Region is presently experiencing.

For Covid-19, the vaccine will complement the PDITR (Protect, Detect, Isolate, Treat and Reintegrate) strategy that emphasizes minimum health standards. In the past, vaccines have saved lives and have been used to halt previous pandemics such as H1N1 in 2019.

“With the Covid-19, the government is exploring all means to access Covid-19 vaccines and prepare the country for the implementation of a National Vaccine Deployment and Vaccination program once a safe and effective vaccine is determined,” she said.

“For the vaccination plan to be successful and effective, it has to reach 60 to 75 percent of the population, thus, the cooperation of everyone is required,” Constantino said.

For the downloading of the plan in Cordillera, Constantino said DOH-CAR already conducted an orientation for the provincial, municipal and city DOH officers, as well as the RTF Covid-19 members.

DOH-CAR is also rolling out training programs for LGUs involving city and municipal health officers, rural health physicians, national immunization program coordinators and local epidemiology surveillance officers. Training for Abra, Ifugao and Benguet is set on January 26 and 27, while Apayao, Kalinga and Mountain Province will be from January 28 to 29. For Baguio City, it started on Monday, January 18, 2021, and will end on Sunday, January 24

The national government is working hard to bring in the vaccines in the first quarter of 2021. (SunStar Baguio)