Not all VSMMC workers want to get Sinovac jab

CEBU, Philippines —  Around 2,900 healthcare workers of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City are among the first recipients of the Sinovac vaccines that are expected to arrive here today but not all of the hospital’s staff want to be inoculated.

Dr. Juanito Zuasola, head of the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit-7, told reporters yesterday that not all VSMMC healthcare workers have agreed to be vaccinated with Chinese-made vaccines.

Zuasola said that while they respect such workers’ decision on their vaccine preference, they hope that the workers’ would change their minds.

Department of Health-7 spokesperson Dr. Mary Jean Loreche and Zuasula said that they are willing to be vaccinated first to show to the public that these vaccines are safe and effective.

“Yes willing mi magpa-vaccine first because we believe in the study and the scientists who developed these vaccines,” Loreche said.

Loreche added that there should be an efficient listing of the masterlist for vaccination as the vaccines are limited in volume. She said no doses should be wasted.

Dr. Van Baton, DOH-7 regional medical coordinator for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, said that the country targets to vaccinate 70 million of the population for the first year, another 40 million for the second year, and another 12 million for the third year.

This is to attain herd immunity, Zuasula said as he appealed to everyone to give the COVID-19 vaccines a chance.

Loreche, for her part, said “whatever vaccine is available, we have to use it.”

5.6 million CV residents

In Central Visayas, a total of 5,634,789 people are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.

Loreche did not discuss how these people were identified nor did she provide a breakdown of the number. However, she said that there will be a total of 4,973 vaccination teams that will conduct the vaccination for 14 days.

Security in place

Meanwhile, the Cebu City Police Office said security measures for the transport of the vaccines are already “in place” once they arrive here on Mar. 4.

"Part sa security plan nga ipatuman sa PRO-7 (Police Regional Office) is ang pag-transport sa time nga maabot siya... It's already in place na,” said CCPO Director Col. Josefino Ligan.

To prepare, CCPO conducted yesterday a simulation exercise on security deployment for the vaccines’ arrival.

Visayas vaccine hub up

In a separate development, the Visayas COVID-19 Vaccination Operations Center at Oakridge I.T. Park in Mandaue City, which is envisioned to serve as the hub for all vaccine-related concerns of the LGUs within the Visayas, is now in place.

It will be manned by personnel from the DOH-7 and Project Balik Buhay initiative, among others.

Regional Development Council-7 chairman Kenneth Cobonpue, who is also a co-chairman of the Project Balik Buhay, said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez, and presidential spokesperson Harry Roque are expected to meet with regional officials at the operations center tomorrow.

Among the matters to be discussed is the “game plan” for the Visayas rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines. — Iris Hazel M. Mascardo, Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon. JMD (FREEMAN)