More than 200,000 doses of various coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines are expected to arrive in the province of Iloilo in the coming weeks.

This was announced by Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., during his regular press conference on Thursday following his communication with National Task Force against Covid-19 Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. last week asking for more supplies of the Covid-19 jabs.

He said Galvez has assured him that Iloilo will have a bigger share from the forthcoming 36 million doses that would be delivered to the national government.

“Secretary Galvez texted me that in the coming weeks we are expecting more than 200,000 doses of vaccines to arrive in the province of Iloilo,” he said.

Initially, 11,700 doses of Pfizer, 30,000 doses of Sinovac, and 15,800 doses of Moderna will be shipped to the province anytime soon.

As of September 19, data from the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) showed that 351, 979 or 24 percent of the eligible population in the province have received their vaccination while 239, 989 or 17 percent are fully vaccinated.

To cover more eligible populations, the IPHO also rolled out this month its barangay-based vaccination dubbed Bulig Bakuna sang Probinsya: The Barangay Vaccination Rollout to municipalities with thickly populated areas, with high-incidence of confirmed cases and those with eagerness to be part of the rollout.

The province targets to vaccinate at least 70 percent or equivalent to over 1.4 million of its eligible population on Nov. 28 this year.

Defensor also brought before the attention of Galvez the depleting supply of oxygen in the province and he was assured that the national government is talking to big suppliers to respond to the demand.

“The shortage of oxygen is not artificial, the demand has increased,” he said.

As a strategy, he said Galvez could help source out oxygen from other local government units with declining Covid-19 cases to cope with the demand in this city and Iloilo province.

Last week, the Regional Task Force on Covid-19, also endorsed the concerns of LGUs in Western Visayas to include the shortage of raw materials for oxygen and oxygen tanks or cylinders and the fast-track of the licensing of two hospital-based oxygen-generating plants from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to National Task Force Against Covid-19 chairperson and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. (PNA)