VSMMC healthcare workers to get first COVID vaccines in Cebu

Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City. CDN file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Healthcare workers from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) would be the first to receive vaccines to protect them from contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the regional health office here announced.

Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, spokesperson of the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7), told reporters in a virtual press conference on Monday, February 8 that VSMMC would be the only hospital to have been chosen as the first COVID-19 vaccination center in Central Visayas. 

“Sotto is part in the list primarily because (it was) tagged as (a) COVID hospital,” said Loreche. 

Citing data they obtained from VSMMC, Loreche said the hospital employed at least 2,987 frontline healthcare workers. 

“Of these 2,987, 2,480 okayed to be vaccinated, based on the same data from Sotto,” she added.

Read: LIST: Priority groups for government’s Covid-19 vaccination program

Healthcare workers belonged in the national government’s priority list for the COVID-19 inoculation program, together with senior citizens, indigents, and uniformed personnel. 

However, the DOH-7 official said they were still waiting for further instructions from their higher-ups on the vaccination program. 

“As to when and how many doses will be administered to our workers in Sotto, I cannot answer as of now,” Loreche noted. 

Read: Preps ongoing for COVID vaccine rollout in Cebu

The Malacañang, in an earlier press briefing on Monday, announced that the initial rollout of COVID-19 vaccine is scheduled this February 15. 

In the meantime, Loreche said DOH-7 was gearing up to train other hospitals all over the region so they would be accredited as COVID-19 vaccination centers in the future. /dbs

Read: It won’t take a month to vaccinate all health workers – Palace