WHAT is the role of the barangays in Cebu City’s vaccination program against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19)?
That was the question raised during the first quarterly meeting of the city’s 80 barangay barangays on Friday, March 19, 2021.
Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president and Kasambagan Barangay Captain Franklyn Ong said barangays are willing to help, but they do not know their specific roles in the vaccination program.
Ong said they have not received proper communication regarding the matter.
“You have to tell us. We just need a letter,” Ong told City Health Department (CHD) officer-in-charge Jeffrey Ibones.
Ibones and CHD division head Ilya Tac-an attended the meeting to discuss the vaccination program, as well as its status.
During her presentation, Tac-an urged barangay captains to provide assistance for a successful vaccination program.
Punta Princesa Barangay Captain Eleno Andales Jr. said the CHD should be more specific about the assistance it wants from barangays.
“Let’s put in a proper perspective, unsa gyud ang role sa barangay (what is the role of the barangay)?,” asked Andales.
Inayawan Barangay Captain Kirk Bryan Repollo said day care teachers in his barangay have been conducting house-to-house profiling as instructed by City Hall, but they have no idea what to do next.
He also wants clear instructions on who will conduct the encoding.
Tac-an said barangays can help provide pre-registration sites for people who will receive the vaccine; computers and internet connection; and personnel who will be in charge of encoding and interviews.
She said each barangay has to prepare at least two encoders and interviewers.
Ibones said the Department of Social Welfare and Services had tasked day care teachers to conduct the profiling while face-to-face classes had not yet resumed and to coordinate with barangay officials.
Ibones apologized for the lack of proper communication and assured that the Vaccine Advisory Board and the CHD will coordinate with the barangays.
After medical frontliners, next in line to receive the Covid-19 vaccine are senior citizens followed by the marginalized group, Tac-an said.
Ibones said the BHWs are expected to receive the vaccine by next week.
On Sunday, March 21, the Department of Health (DOH) 7 logged 157 new Covid-19 cases in Cebu City, bringing the total number of active cases to 2,508.
Based on the data of the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Barangay Guadalupe had the most number of cases from March 11 to March 20 with 114, followed by Apas with 73 cases, Tisa with 66 cases, Talamban with 57 cases and Lahug with 53 cases.
In Mandaue City, the Vaccine Board (VB) will open a Vaccination Operations Center (VOC) at the Mandaue City Public Market conference hall.
Ernie Manatad, VB head and ABC president, said the VOC will serve as a communication hub for all teams under the VB.
He said they will install a VOC hotline that will answer questions regarding the implementation of the City’s vaccination program.
The VB is composed of six teams — planning, finance, logistics, vaccination implementation, monitoring and data management.
Manatad said each team will have one focal person to manage the VOC.
As of Saturday, March 20, 2,938 medical frontliners in Mandaue City have been vaccinated. A total of 1,198 received Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccine, while 1,740 were injected with AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. (JJL, KFD)