ONCE again, the distribution of the first dose of Covid-19 vaccines in Cebu City has been hampered after the City ran out of vaccines.
Cebu City Acting Mayor Michael Rama said only two vaccination sites opened on Friday, June 11, 2021 primarily to give inoculated individuals their second doses.
“Only two vaccination sites functioned because there was no vaccine. We lack vaccines,” said Rama.
The vaccination sites which opened on Friday were the ones in Robinsons Galleria and University of Cebu (UC) Senior High School Private Campus.
Cebu City Health Department (CHD) officer-in-charge Jeffrey Ibones, in a separate interview, confirmed that Cebu City had run out of vaccines.
But Ibones clarified that in Robinsons Galleria, they were still able to give at least 350 individuals their first doses.
Ibones hoped the City’s allocation would be delivered within the week so it can resume its vaccination program on Monday, June 14.
“I’m sure we have allocations from the newly delivered vaccines, but we don’t know yet when it will be delivered to the City,” said Ibones.
Rama called on the Department of Health Central Visayas (DOH 7) to release Cebu City’s vaccine allocation as the City plans to expand its vaccination drive to mountain barangays.
Rama asked DOH 7 officials to provide Sinovac vaccines for Cebu City’s upland barangays as other vaccine brands will be difficult to store in the mountain villages.
Vaccination posts
Meanwhile, the DOH 7 said there were 435 vaccination posts across Central Visayas.
The number excludes the eight vaccination centers under the public-private partnership Project Balik Buhay (PBB) Vaccination Program.
Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, DOH 7 spokesperson, said of the vaccination posts established by local government units (LGUs) in the region, 23 are in Cebu City, 12 are in Mandaue City, eight in Lapu-Lapu City, 154 in Cebu Province, 160 in Bohol, 54 in Negros Oriental and 24 in Siquijor.
Loreche called on the LGUs to fast-track the establishment of their vaccination posts as this is one of the requirements for the allocation of the vaccine along with their prepared masterlists of vaccinees.
Meanwhile, the PBB is set to activate additional vaccination centers this month in the following locations: Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, Canduman Campus, University of San Carlos-Talamban Campus, Toyota Talisay, Toyota Lapu-Lapu, Toyota Mandaue, SM Seaside City Cebu, SM City Consolacion, SM City Cebu, Belmont One, and Visayan Electric Co.
Currently, the PBB has eight operating vaccination posts: the PBB IEC Vaccination MegaCenter, Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital, and Visayas Community Medical Center in Cebu City, Chong Hua Hospital and University of Cebu-Medical Center in Mandaue City, ARC Hospital and Mactan Doctors’ Hospital im Lapu-Lapu City, and the Mendero Medical Center in Consolacion.
As of Thursday, June 10, the PBB had fully vaccinated a total of 8,000 individuals in Cebu, of which 443 were healthcare workers; 2,217, senior citizens; and 5,340, individuals with comorbidities. / WBS