Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has commended the vaccination facility of the Dagupan City and urged other local government units (LGUs) to replicate its best practices.
“This should be replicated in the whole of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. This is the first in the whole of Luzon. In my visits, I haven’t seen anything like this in the National Capital Region,” Duque said.
The health chief visited the vaccination site, accompanied by Ilocos Center for Health and Development director Dr. Valeriano Jesus Lopez, and Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC) chief Dr. Joseph Roland Mejia.
The city government converted the Dagupan City People’s Astrodome into a centralized vaccination center as the Department of Health (DOH) has allotted vaccines for the medical frontliners of the eight private hospitals in the city.
It has a triage before one can enter the facility, a health education area, screening area, vaccination area, and the monitoring area for post-vaccine assessment.
The center is also fully air-conditioned and spacious to ensure physical distancing.
The average output at the Dagupan City vaccination program that started on March 11 is 400 a day.
“The output is high at 400 a day.”
“Maganda, bilib ako kasi ang taas ng output, 400 a day. Yon ang kailangan natin para maakyat natin ang coverage at the earliest possible time (The output is high at 400 a day. That is what we need to increase the vaccine coverage at the earliest possible time),” the health head stressed.
He also commended Dagupan City Mayor Marc Brian Lim for coming up with this best practice for his city.
“The Astrodome vaccination site will be replicated in the other areas in the city with additional 14 more sites.”
Lim told Duque that the Astrodome vaccination site will be replicated in the other areas in the city with additional 14 more sites in partnership with the Dagupan City Schools Division, which will be lending 14 public schools.
It will have a varying output of 700 to 1,000 a day.
This is a preparation for the community-based vaccination once the eligibility of the bigger part of the populace is reached, including that of the senior citizens.
“We are also consolidating some volunteers from private hospitals because they are willing to give us some of their people to help us,” the mayor said.