Regional vaccine hub set up at Oakridge

CEBU, Philippines —  A regional vaccination operations center for Central Visayas was put up at the Oakridge Pavilion in Mandaue City.

It is a joint project of the Department of Health (DOH), the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV), and the Project Balik Buhay(PBB).

DOH-7 spokesperson Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, in yesterday’s virtual presser, thanked OPAV and PBB’s Edmund Liu for continuing to help the health department, this time with the region’s preparations for the vaccine rollout.

“Here, we will be giving daily updates in line with the vaccination programs and latest developments,” said Loreche.

The regional hub will be a place where local government units can go to and get more guidance on the latest about the national government’s vaccination program and other concerns.

In line with this, Inter Agency Task Force Visayas implementer, retired Major General Melquiades Feliciano, said preparations for the vaccine rollout in Cebu City is already underway.

Once finalized, Feliciano said, the vaccination plan in Cebu can also be shared to the other LGUs at the said operations center.

As for one of the first priorities of the national government’s vaccination program, the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) is now ready for it.

DOH-7 Regional Director Dr. Jaime Bernadas said they are not yet sure as to what vaccines will be available and be used for the vaccination of the health care workers at VSMMC.

However, whatever vaccine brands it may be, the storage facilities here can store all types of vaccines, Bernadas said.

With vaccination being discussed, both Bernadas and Loreche along with OPAV’s Asec Jonji Gonzales stressed out the importance of being vaccinated amid the reported two Cebuano OFWs who got COVID-19 even after vaccination.

Both Bernadas and Loreche said that the vaccine is not a miracle cure, but it can prevent one from suffering the severity of the illness and worse, death.

Gonzales, for his part, said the development that there is a variant of interest in Cebu should be a reason enough to support the national government’s vaccination program.

Although Mike Dino is still recuperating from COVID-19 himself, he and the rest of OPAV is working with the LGUs and various agencies with the guidance of President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Bong Go for the success of the vaccination campaign. — KQD (FREEMAN)