This Week in Boracay and Iloilo (February 21 to 27, 2021)

In the first ten days of this month, the City of Iloilo has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases compared to the previous month. According to the data gathered by the Emergency Operation Center (EOC), Iloilo City’s coronavirus cases spiked by 80 percent. As of writing, three villages in Jaro, Quintin Salas, Balabago, and Tabuc Suba have the most cases in the city [1].

The city government of Iloilo traced new cases from holiday gatherings in private homes, in some government agencies, and mass gatherings in enclosed spaces. In efforts to fight the pandemic, barangay officials were asked to hand out pre-registration forms to Ilonggos who want to be vaccinated.

LabX Corporation Chief Operating Officer Norman Bungubung presented a new generation antigen test that can deliver results in 15 minutes to the Sanggunian Baran of Malay, Aklan. Officials stated that they need a more in-depth study of the antigen tests before using them at the Caticlan port. The LabX antigen tests also uses direct nasal swabbing but is cheaper at only PhP2,300. Bungubung also added that these tests are reliable and highly sensitive as they were made in Germany [2].

The province of Aklan prepares for its mass immunization against COVID-19 with a pre-rollout “3M strategy.” The “3M strategy” consists of three stages: master listing of the eligible population, microplanning, and mapping of vaccination areas and workforce.

The first step is to list eligible and priority groups through critical vetting to avoid the duplication of profiles. The prioritized group will be public health workers, residents prone to serious infections, indigent senior citizens, and uniformed personnel. For the second step, local government units (LGUs) will conduct post-training and microplanning. Lastly, LGUs and Malay Municipal Health offices (MHOs) will map vaccination posts and workforce in key locations [3].

Go to Yoorekka for more COVID-19 updates in Iloilo and Boracay.