With over 50% eligible seniors vaxxed, Talisay and Cebu may be included in pilot pediatric jabs

CEBU, Philippines —  The cities of Cebu and Talisay are the first two local government units that have reached over 50 percent fully vaccinated seniors (A2 category) of the COVID-19 inoculation priority listing.

Talisay has already fully inoculated a total of 9,085 seniors or 58.54 percent of its eligible population based on the Visayas Vaccination Operations Center’s latest monitoring. Also, it has vaccinated 4,521 other seniors for the first dose.

Cebu City, on the other hand, is now at 50.12 percent with its A2 category and 34.36 percent for the first dose.

Compared to Talisay, Cebu City’s seniors are at 72,541 with 44,108 of them already done with their second dose and 30,234 others already got their first dose.

With this, VVOC’s Spokesperson Dr.Mary Jean Loreche said both Cebu City and Talisay may already be included in the pilot testing of vaccination for children 12 to 17 with comorbidities.

The said LGUs may appeal to the national government as its guidelines for the pediatric population earlier stated that it should be at least 50 percent of the senior population per region.

Moreover, Loreche is calling on other LGUs to exert more effort in inoculating the seniors for the sake of the children with comorbidities.

Lapu-Lapu is at the bottom among Metro Cebu LGUs with only 29.25 percent fully vaccinated seniors.

Mandaue, which has been leading in the overall dashboard of vaccination, is now at 45 percent in the second dose of its A2, while the City of Naga is at 39.98 percent.

Consolacion town is at 38.13 percent, Minglanilla at 48.39 percent, Cordova at 31.33 percent, and Liloan at 36.81 percent.

In total, Metro Cebu has so far vaccinated 99,897 or 44.12 percent for the second dose among seniors, while 72,304 others or 31.93 percent for the first dose.

If not by LGUs, Loreche is also looking at inoculating the pediatric population once Metro Cebu will already be done by at least 50 percent of its seniors.

Although no go signal yet from the national level, VVOC has already prepared pediatricians and other doctors that may be involved in the vaccination of minors soon. — KQD (FREEMAN)