Update: According to Governor Enrique Alfaro, 40,950 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccines arrived in Puerto Vallarta yesterday. Under the national vaccination plan, 21,450 will be applied to people over 60 years of age and 19,500 to health personnel in Puerto Vallarta.
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico – Late Wednesday afternoon, 21,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived at the Puerto Vallarta International Airport, for which the three levels of government have already coordinated a protocol. The vaccines will be administered to the elderly (60+ years) of Puerto Vallarta over 5 days, from Feb 25 to March 1.
The details were released during a virtual press conference, in which Mayor Arturo Dávalos Peña; the head of the VIII Health Region, Vladimir Atilano Barraza; and the director of Civil Protection and Firefighters, Adrián Bobadilla García participated.
During the virtual press conference, they presented the logistics that were previously defined and approved by the State Health Council, the commander responsible for vaccination in the state, and the Executive Commission of the IX Costa Norte Regional Public Security Council, in an extraordinary session held on Tuesday.
Due to its management protocols, the Pfizer vaccine must be applied within a period of five days, so the first vaccinations will be administered from Thursday, February 25 to Monday, March 1, from 8:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon, at 15 vaccination modules around the city.
In order to reach the entire population of older adults who live in the municipality, the vaccination sites were chosen based on sufficient space for social distancing and parking, easy road access and proximity to health centers and hospitals, among other characteristics that will streamline the process and ensure order and security.
The vaccinations are scheduled to start on Thursday at the following points: Naval Hospital, Puerto Vallarta Regional Hospital, General Hospital of Zone No. 42 of the IMSS, as well as clinics 170 and 179; the ISSSTE Hospital Clinic, as well as the Domo de Ixtapa and the University of Guadalajara’s Centro Universitario de la Costa (CUCosta).
“Vaccination Stations” will also be set up at the Puerto Vallarta International Convention Center, the Municipal Administrative Unit (UMA), the Technical High School No.15 (Pesquera), the sports center of the Municipal Sports Council in the Bobadilla neighborhood; La Casa de Día of the Municipal DIF in La Aurora; the DIF System Training Center in Coapinole, and at the El Remance Health Center.
In each module there will be a medical filter that will make a questionnaire to the elderly to determine if they are suitable to receive the vaccine, in which there will also be staff from the Ministry of Welfare who will make the corresponding record of the elderly. After the application of the vaccine, the person will then move to an observation area for 30 minutes.
Everyone must bring their INE and CURP as identification documents, regardless of whether they were previously registered on the federal platform, and follow sanitary measures such as the use of face masks and sanitizing gel, in addition to having ingested food and the medications prescribed by their doctors.
The head of the Health Region recalled that it is a universal vaccination so its application does not depend on the person’s social security affiliation, so one can go to the nearest vaccination point.
The municipal president, Arturo Dávalos Peña, pointed out that the protocols and actions that will be implemented are part of the coordinated work that is maintained between the different orders of government, so that in addition to the installation of vaccination posts, it will begin with the call to all older adults through social networks, radio spots and peripherals in the neighborhoods to publicize the closest “Vaccination Station”.
Chairs and awnings will be installed to protect the elderly; there will be ambulances and support from Civil Protection and Firefighters, Highway, Citizen Security and volunteer personnel on-site.
The Mayor stressed that it is possible for people from other municipalities to attend, so they will not be denied the vaccine, but it will depend on the Ministry of Welfare which can be applied or it will be oriented when it can be received, as in the case of people who are passing through, as the second application must be guaranteed.
In the case of foreigners residing in Puerto Vallarta, he stressed that there will be coordination with the consular representatives of the United States and Canada in this region so that they can send them the information and can be vaccinated.
The director of Civil Protection and Firefighters, Adrián Bobadilla García, added that a command post will be installed for the coordination of the different authorities and decision-making if required. This will be installed starting this Wednesday, in addition to having a modular structure duly prepared for the implementation of this action plan.
Puerto Vallarta Municipal Government Press Release translated and edited by Luis Antonio for BanderasNews.com.