The province of Ilocos Norte has set up a special lane for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who may need to get vaccinated before leaving for work abroad.

Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc assured this on Wednesday in his press conference held at the Capitol Bonsai Garden as preferential treatment for migrant workers who are included in the priority list to get vaccinated.

“If they (OFWs) need it, we’ll take charge of them,” said Manotoc as he reported more vaccines are expected to arrive in the province starting July to September.

However, in the case of Singapore-bound OFWs, the Department of Labor and Employment said vaccination is no longer required for them as the Singapore government has automatically included migrant workers in their vaccination program.

They are only required to undergo a 21-day institutional quarantine and take RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) test thrice once they arrive in Singapore.

But for other countries which require OFWs to be inoculated before departing for their jobs, the Ilocos Norte government said their migrant workers can preregister at the provincial government’s vaccination sites to avail of the Covid-19 vaccine.

As of June 29, Dr. Rogelio Balbag, provincial health consultant of Ilocos Norte, said a total of 62,772 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been delivered to the province by the Department of Health.

With a consumption rate of 82 percent, Balbag said a total of 46,624 individuals from the priority A1, A2, and A3 lists were already vaccinated with their first dose while 16,142 have received their second or complete doses of vaccines.

In early January, the Ilocos Norte government has pre-ordered an initial 120,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Company.

The vaccine which is expected to arrive this July which is expected to benefit some 60,000 residents from the economic sector or those belonging to A4 category. (PNA)