Aklan province asks for more vaccines as number of COVID deaths rises

MANILA, Philippines — Aklan province needs more vaccines as COVID-related deaths are steadily rising in the locality, provincial governor Florencio Miraflores said Wednesday.

The province is experiencing a surge of COVID-19 cases, Miraflores said, prompting the local government to appeal for more vaccines, as well as additional equipment and medicine for its pandemic response.

“Humihingi kami ng tulong sa IATF na kung pwede, bigyan pa kami ng additional equipment, supply, medicine for our COVID-19 response. At the same time, humihingi kami ng additional vaccines,” Miraflores said in a televised public briefing.

(We are asking for the help of IATF to give us, if possible, additional equipment, medicine and supply for our COVID-19 response. At the same time, we are asking for additional vaccines.)

“That is the best prevention for any further death dito sa Aklan kasi kung hindi natin ito maagapan ng mga vaccines, lalong maraming mamamatay dito sa Aklan,” he added.

(That is the best prevention for any further death here in Aklan. If we do not address the problem with vaccines, many more people will die here.)

Miraflores earlier ordered municipal mayors to look for burial grounds for deceased COVID-19 patients as its partner-crematorium in Iloilo City has suspended its operations.

Miraflores said the province has recorded a total of 184 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic started last year, but the bulk of the deaths were recorded in the last three months.

So far, only 11% of its target population of 400,000 for COVID-19 vaccination has received their first dose, while 7% received their second dose, the provincial governor added.

He said the provincial government is able to administer at least 6,000 vaccines a day, since they have established at least two vaccination centers in each town. However, it is the supply of vaccines where they are lacking.

“That is how low o ang baba ng aming vaccination kasi ang kakulangan ng vaccines ay isang malaking problema,” he said.

“’Yung kakulangan namin ay ‘yung mga bakuna na ngayon nga ay hinihingi namin sa national government na kung pwede ma-bigyan kami ng more allocation para ma-stop ang surge na ito,” he said.

(We are asking the national government if they can give us more allocation of COVID-19 vaccines so that we can stop a surge.)

As of Wednesday, Aklan province has additional confirmed COVID-19 cases, which Miraflores said, is higher compared with its neighboring provinces.

JPV