Health workers of the Cebu City Medical Center will receive their COVID-19 shots when the second batch of the vaccines arrive. | CDN Digital photo by Morexette Marie B. Erram
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) workers will be prioritized when the second batch of vaccines, which most likely will be of the brand, AstraZeneca, arrives.
Labella said that some doses of Sinovac, the currently available vaccine in Cebu, may reach the CCMC as promised by the DOH-7, but this depends on the availability.
The assured doses will most likely come from AstraZeneca, when at least 20,000 doses will arrive in Cebu soon.
The mayor said the CCMC health workers must be vaccinated as they are also handling COVID-19 patients and may also help in the planned vaccination program.
“I was told that CCMC will have doses of the vaccines. Aside from that, ang CCMC is one of the priorities for the second batch, the AstaZeneca, Cocovax. Naa pud atong CCQC (Cebu City Quarantine Center),” said the mayor.
Other frontline workers such as those in the City Health Department, CCQC, and isolation centers will also be vaccinated first before the rest of the populace.
The city targets the roll-out of the vaccines to these health workers by next week as the second batch of vaccines is set to arrive by March 10, 2021.
Two vaccination sites including the Lourdes Parish in Barangay Punta and the Robinson’s Galleria in Barangay Tejero have been identified as suitable sites for the vaccine roll-out.
The city government will also take the opportunity to study the best ways to conduct mass vaccination during the scheduled vaccination roll-out of the health workers.
Cebu City is also undertaking its own negotiations with AstraZeneca and Cocovax for the procurement of vaccines for the city residents and other frontliners.
The City Council has allowed Labella to negotiate in behalf of the city and the mayor has decided to purchase P100 million worth of vaccines first.
Yet the negotiation has not been completed and Cebu City still does not have a sure procurement for the vaccines.
“Naghulat pud ta sa national government kay dili man ta ka procure lang og atoa,” said the mayor. /rcg