After COVID-19 outbreak, Ilocos Norte town starts vaccination drive

Health workers in Solsona, Ilocos Norte started being vaccinated against coronavirus disease on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Solsona municipal government

LAOAG CITY –– One hundred forty-four health workers in Solsona in Ilocos Norte would be vaccinated against coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a month after an outbreak hit the town, authorities said on Tuesday.

Solsona Mayor Joseph de Lara said the vaccination drive had to be delayed because of the “real chaos” that took over the town.

In March, Solsona broke its two-month streak of zero cases when it recorded 65 confirmed cases in only two weeks, according to local data.

De Lara said the town was now on its way to full recovery, with only seven active cases remaining, as of April 5.

The provincial health task force traced the virus outbreak in Solsona to some household members who attended a social gathering last February.

On April 5, Ilocos Norte Gov. Matthew Marcos-Manotoc said these private social gatherings were the “super-spreaders” of the virus, which could “bring down the whole province.”

Manotoc appealed to the public to avoid social gatherings, especially that another COVID-19 outbreak had started in San Nicolas town, where at least 50 market vendors had been infected.

Ilocos Norte had seen a five-fold increase in COVID-19 cases in the past four weeks, according to the latest report of the provincial government.

Aside from Solsona, other towns such as Bacarra, Pasuquin, Sarrat, Banna, and Paoay also began to inoculate their health workers, said Dr. Rogelio Balbag, provincial health consultant.

Since the province started its vaccination drive on March 6, Ilocos Norte had inoculated 3,779 health workers, said Balbag.

LZB