Vaccination profiling starts for Cebu City

Officers from the Department of Social Welfare Services will be deployed as likely profilers of priority individuals for Cebu City’s vaccination program. | CDND file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City is already beginning to conduct the profiling of priority groups for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program.

City Health Officer-in-Charge, Doctor Jeffrey Ybones, said they are now training profilers that would help in the listing and the gathering of information of the individuals prioritized for the inoculation.

The profiling is important because, before the inoculation, the vaccinators need the health status of the beneficiary including any ailments that may cause unwanted allergies to the vaccine.

Doctor Ilya Tancan, still from City Health, said that a master list is being created for the health workers in the city because they are the top priority for the vaccination.

The senior citizens are simultaneously being profiled as well, but since the city government already has a list of all senior citizens in its jurisdiction, the senior citizens only need to fill out additional forms.

Demographic data, presence of comorbidities, allergies, and general health status will be included in the profile to be used by the vaccinators during the program.

The final goal of the profiling would be to release a vaccination card that would have a quick response (QR) code containing all health information of a resident and whether he or she is eligible for vaccination.

“Iapil nato sila tanang profile basta nabelong sa senior citizen. By the time nga makahibaw na ta unsay vaccine nato, didto sad sa (vaccination) sites duna puy screening,” said Tancan.

Senior citizens or any beneficiary should not worry about comorbidities because the vaccination will continue for anyone under their priority group unless that someone shows allergies to the vaccine at the first dose.

If the individual is positive for the COVID-19, he or she may have to wait for 90 days deferment before inoculation, but it is guaranteed.

All beneficiaries will be profiled even if they do not consent to be inoculated and eventually choose not to so that in the case the individual changes their mind, the profile is already there.

Ybones urged the public especially the priority groups of health workers and senior citizens to undergo pre-listing and profiling so that they will be ready for the arrival of the vaccines.

“Giawhag gyod nato silang magpalista. Grabe kaayo ang challenges nato sa vaccine program kay daghang tawo nga close na gyod labi natong mga naapektohan sa Dengvaxia. Natrauma gyod sila. Mao na dako kaayo nang hagit nato nga makonbiser sila nga magpavaccine,” said Ybones.

Ybones understands that fear is forming around Sinovac, the China-made vaccine, which the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) recently gave an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

The doctor explained that Sinovac is effective against the COVID-19 as it has been proven in Indonesia and Brazil, and though it is not recommended for health care workers, it will work well with the ordinary public.

As of now, City Health urges the public to wait patiently as the national government procures the vaccines and he assured them that the city government is preparing for the arrival of these vaccines. /rcg