43% of Central Visayas’ health workers vaccinated

CEBU, Philippines —  The number of healthcare workers in Central Visayas who are eligible for vaccination has further increased to 117,973 from the previous 89,019 as of March 24 and 54,640 as of March 22.

Department of Health-7 spokesperson and chief pathologist Dr. Mary Jean Loreche said that 51,635 or about 43 percent of health care workers have already been vaccinated as of March 25, leaving 66,338 more who have yet to get the jab.

Loreche said that of the 51,635 health care workers who have been inoculated, 25,912 are from Cebu; 19,921 from Bohol; 4,098 from Negros Oriental; and 1,704 from Siquijor.

A total of 49,061 vaccine doses are allocated for Cebu; 39,210 for Bohol; 10,970 for Negros Oriental; and 5,164 for Siquijor.

The region’s four provinces have a total of 199 vaccination sites, majority of which or 81 sites are located in Bohol.

Vaccination Centers

Meanwhile, around 15 vaccination and medical partners will sign a memorandum of agreement today with the Visayas Vaccination Operation Center in line with the Philippine National Deployment and Vaccination Plan for COVID-19 Vaccines.

These vaccination partners will be used as vaccination centers for the deployment and application of the vaccines.

Loreche said that officials of the vaccine operation center are expected to discuss today the current state of Central Visayas vaccination program, plans on how the vaccine will be distributed, and the involvement of the communities as well as the private sector.

Expected to join the meeting are Loreche, IATF-EID deputy chief implementer for the Visayas Melquiades Feliciano, Office Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino, Project Balik Buhay chairman Edmun Liu, Regional Development Council-7 chairman Kenneth Cobonpue, among others.

“We are ready to roll out the vaccine to the communities the moment supplies arrive,” Loreche said.

Earlier, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the government is considering a parallel vaccination strategy that will include senior citizens and service workers in addition to the mass vaccination being done among health care workers nationwide.

Galvez, who is also the chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, said that the government can also implement simultaneous vaccination campaign, targeting to inoculate 500,000 to 1 million people per week in April or May this year.

Galvez, in a statement, said that the country expects to receive 2,379,200 vaccine doses of Sinovac and AstraZeneca in the first quarter of this year.

He added that by year-end, the country expects to receive more than 140 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, excluding the donations through the World Health Organization-led COVAX facility. — JMD (FREEMAN)