451,605 more COVID-19 jabs set for Cebu

CEBU, Philippines —  Almost half a million doses of COVID vaccines are expected to arrive in Cebu before September ends, vaccine czar, Secretary Carlito Galvez, said during the ceremonial vaccination of tourism sector members in Cebu on Friday, September 24, 2021.

These doses are among the 20 million doses that will arrive in the country.

Cebu City will get 60,960 doses; Mandaue City will get 40,220 doses; Lapu-Lapu City will get 33,310 doses; and Cebu Province will get 317,114 doses.

The arrival of the vaccines is expected to boost the vaccination efforts in all local government units in the island as Cebu hopes to achieve herd immunity before the year ends.

On September 23, Cebu received 51,480 more doses of Pfizer vaccines, the National Task Force update said. The allocation came from the 728,910 doses the government procured from the US pharmaceutical firm, Pfizer-BioNTech.

Galvez said Cebu always gets its share each time there is a delivery of Pfizer vaccines because it has cold storage capability like Manila and Davao.

Officials said Metro Cebu, which is composed of LGUs from Danao City in the north of the island down to Carcar City in the south, are doing well in the vaccination program in general but other LGUs have to step up.

“Narinig nyo naman… babaha ng bakuna dito… Request ko lang, itaas pa natin ang vaccination effort ng Cebu Province. Kailangan lang bilisan lang sa ibang parts ng Cebu ang pagbabakuna kasi ang Metro Cebu, maganda na eh... magandang-maganda na ang Metro Cebu, eh, pero we have to work harder for the rest of the province, so palaguin natin,” said Sec. Vince Dizon, deputy chief implementer of the National Action Plan against COVID-19.

Dizon said President Rodrigo Duterte has instructed them to supply vaccines only to LGUs with a fast turnout in its vaccination program.

“President Duterte said, kapag ang LGU mabagal magbakuna, wag nyo munang bigyan ng bakuna. Kailangang ipakita muna nilang mabilis sila magbakuna,” Dizon said.

He urged the Visayas Vaccination Operations Center (VVOC), the Project Balik Buhay, and the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) to work harder to achieve herd immunity in Cebu by December, considering that the island is the lifeblood of the Visayas – an important variable in the reopening of the country’s economy.

“So it is important for us to make sure that Cebu hits its vaccination target before the end of the year,” Dizon said.

Tourism

Meanwhile, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat who attended the ceremonial vaccination of tourism players in Cebu challenged all workers in the sector to get inoculated by October.

“That’s the only way we can restart tourism. All over Asia, ang nakabukas lang na tourist destination, ‘yong 90 percent or more vaccinated,” Puyat said.

She disclosed that Cebu will have a weekly allocation of 20,000 vaccines solely for tourism workers.

“Cebu is very important to us,” Puyat said.

Tourism workers include those working in hotels, restaurants, and airport – and even drivers.

Galvez said:

“Over the years, the tourism industry has been a key driver and a major revenue earner of our nation's economy. The province of Cebu is considered as one of the country's top tourist destinations because of its world-class marine attractions, historic sites and, of course, its mouth-watering cuisines,” Galvez said.

“We believe that in order for the industry to get back on its feet and save our economy, we need to vaccinate as many members of our workforce as possible,” he said.

 “By providing our workers here in Cebu with an extra layer of protection against the virus, they will have more confidence to return to their jobs, which, in turn, shall encourage tourism operators to increase their operational capacity and result in an economic revival here in the province,” Galvez added.

Hotel, Resorts, Restaurants Association of Cebu (HRRAC) President Alfred Reyes could not agree more.

“If we want to revive Cebu… and bring the tourism back to its former glory... we must support the vaccination... I hope that Cebu tourism workers will now open their eyes to be vaccinated,” Reyes said.

Incentive

Meanwhile, Cebu City is taking after other local government units and will be raffling off prizes in an effort to attract more vaccinees.

The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Incorporated (RAFI) will also help out with its own contests and prizes for barangays with the highest number of vaccinees.

Councilor Joel Garganera, deputy chief implementer of the city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), noted the decrease in the number of COVID cases to a little over 1,000 in September from over 4,000 in August, as well as the decrease in the number of casualties.

"Generally, vaccines reduce the risk of infection and protect us against severe illness. This has been a scientific fact and is proven true to all vaccines available in the history of health and medicine. In this COVID pandemic, Cebu City data shows that the benefits of being vaccinated outweigh the risk of COVID. The number of mortalities recorded and validated in Cebu City shows data that can never get any more obvious. The majority of people dying have not received any kind of COVID vaccine. People who choose not to vaccinate often do so to avoid risk, but choosing not to vaccinate is the riskier choice. The risks of natural infection outweigh the risks of immunization for every recommended vaccine,” Garganera said. – JMO (FREEMAN)