DOH-7 distributes 210,000 vaccine doses to LGUs

CEBU, Philippines —  The Department of Health-7 has started distributing the 210,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 to various local government units in Central Visayas and to the Project Balik Buhay initiative.

DOH-7 spokesperson and chief pathologist Dr. Mary Jean Loreche said the 210,000 doses that arrived on June 9 in Cebu have been distributed to Lapu-Lapu City (23,000 doses), Mandaue City (21,060 doses), City of Naga (18,720), Cebu City (21,060 doses),  Minglanilla (11,700 doses), Talisay City (7,020 doses), and Bohol (11,700 doses).

The remaining doses went the Project Balik Buhay.

Thus far, Central Visayas has received a total of 724,310 doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of June 10 broken down as follows: 322,160 doses of Sinovac; 162,000 doses of AstraZeneca; 239,850 doses of Pfizer; and 300 doses of Gamaleya.

Loreche also said that as June 13, some 107,456 out of the total 132,286 healthcare workers in Central Visayas have been inoculated with the first dose while 71,671 healthcare workers have been vaccinated with the first and second doses.

Also, 82,668 senior citizens have been vaccinated with the first dose out of the 549,444 eligible population for this priority group in Central Visayas. On the other hand, 20,559 senior citizens have already received the first and second doses.

As for the A3 priority group or persons with comorbidities, 71,723 and 10,986 have been vaccinated with the first and second doses, respectively.

Under the Project Balik Buhay or PBB initiative, a total of 17,957 and 8,476 individuals belonging to the A1, A2 and A3 priority groups have been inoculated with the first dose and second dose, respectively.

In its continuing efforts to save lives and restore livelihoods, Project Balik Buhay has also activated three more vaccination centers as it continues with the gradual roll-out for the A4 priority group simultaneous with the ongoing vaccination of the A1/A2/A3 from the PBB company masterlists submitted to and duly approved by DOH and the LGUs.

PBB has a total of 11 active vaccination centers as of yesterday. These are the PBB-IEC Vaccination MegaCenter, University of San Carlos – Talamban Campus, Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital and Visayas Community Medical Center in Cebu City; Chong Hua Hospital,  Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu Canduman Campus, and UC Medical Center in Mandaue City; Mactan Doctors’ Hospital, Toyota Lapu-Lapu, and ARC Hospital in Lapu-Lapu City; and Mendero Medical Center in Consolacion.

Loreche said that vaccination centers are expected to increase in number with the increasing delivery of vaccines in the coming days. — JMD (FREEMAN)