More vaccines arrive; jab capacity expanded

CEBU, Philippines —  As more COVID-19 vaccines arrive, Cebu City’s vaccination capacity has also expanded after Project Balik Buhay (PBB) converted its IEC isolation facility into a mega vaccination center to accommodate more individuals for immunization.

The PBB-IEC Vaccination Mega Center would increase the city’s daily vaccination capacity by 2,000 people albeit other local government units are also accommodated there. The center will be jointly manned by PBB, Archdiocese of Cebu, UP Medical Alumni Society of Cebu and LH Foundation Incorporated.

The IEC Convention Center used to be an isolation and swabbing center but ceased operation in March.

The site has been added to address the increasing number of individuals in the PBB company masterlists submitted to and duly approved by the Department of Health and the respective LGUs.

On top of it, Cebu City Councilor David Tumulak said the city government also has at least eight additional vaccination sites ready for activation.

Lack of manpower

However, Tumulak said the city will need more manpower to open these sites.

 The additional sites are located in University of San Jose- Recoletos Basak Campus, Cebu Institute of Technology University, Gaisano South, Gaisano Country Mall, SM City Cebu, Ayala Center Cebu, Ayala Malls Central Block, and Southwestern University PHINMA.

“Daghan na ta’ng mga sites nga ready for activation. But the same problem what we had is the lack of manpower— doctors, nurses,” said Tumulak.

Tumulak said to address this matter, an item was already included in the supplemental budget for the hiring of additional job order nurses and doctors.

“But taas pa kaayo ang proseso. Kinahanglan pa na maaprubahan sa konseho,” he said.

Tumulak admitted this is one of the challenges the city is facing in the vaccination program.

“Problemado gyud (manpower). Tanang mga lgus (local government units), maoy problema karon sa mga lgus. Bisan pa man sa kampanya sa atoang national government og mass inoculation, but we cannot achieve that kay tungod sa kakuwangan sa manpower,” he said.

“Hopefully, the national government can support us, local government, pinaagi sa Department of Health, to field their doctors and nurses sa regional office ngari sa mga local government units,” he added.

The city government is also calling doctors and nurses to volunteer.

All they have to do is coordinate with the City Health Department so that they could be assigned in the vaccination sites. Currently, vaccination is ongoing in the city’s four vaccination sites located in Robinsons Galleria, SM Seaside, University of Cebu-Banilad, and UC Alcantara.

Tumulak said there are at least 9,000 doses of AstraZeneca left but enough to continue the vaccination for this week.

“Makasustiner pa ni hangtod nga mahuman karong semanaha then hopefully next week makasugod napud ta sa lain nasad na brand sa mga bakuna,” he said. Tumulak is expecting more doses of Pfizer, Sinovac, and Sputnik to arrive next week.

More vaccines

Yesterday, 300 doses of Sputnik V from Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute arrived in Cebu. These are to be divided among the LGUs in Central Visayas.

With the latest delivery, DOH-7 said a total of 449,310 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been allocated for the region.

DOH-7 spokesperson and chief pathologist Dr. Mary Jean Loreche said the 300 doses of Sputnik V vaccines will be administered to those in A1, A2 and A3 priority groups waiting for their first dose. — Mary Ruth R. Malinao, Caecent No-ot Magsumbol, FPL (FREEMAN)