CoronaVac, the COVID-19 vaccine brand by Chinese drugmaker Sinovac | INQUIRER.NET FILE PHOTO
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A total of 12,766 healthcare workers in Central Visayas already received the first dose of CoronaVac as of March 13, 2021, or more than a week since the rollout began, the regional health office reported.
The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) on Monday, March 15 announced they recorded a success rate of 45.33 percent in terms of inoculating healthcare workers that belonged to the priority list of the national government’s vaccination drive.
DOH-7 spokesperson Dr. Mary Jean Loreche also said 14 hospitals in the region have completed their respective inoculation schedules for the first dose of CoronaVac, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine brand of China’s Sinovac.
“We already have a total of 12,766 healthcare workers who were vaccinated with Sinovac as of March 13. These figures include those from hospitals which have yet to complete their Sinovac inoculation programs,” said Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, spokesperson of DOH-7.
DOH-7 identified a total of 54,640 healthcare workers eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines for free through the government’s vaccination campaign.
Loreche said the region needed around 130,000 doses to vaccinate all 54,640 healthcare personnel in Central Visayas.
“We have a total of 58,162 doses (from Sinovac and AstraZeneca) so we’re already halfway through the target. But we’re upbeat that there will be more supply of vaccines to come before the month ends or before April ends,” she added.
Meanwhile, Loreche also said hospitals that have finished vaccinating their workers with the first dose of CoronaVac can proceed on rolling out vaccines manufactured by AstraZeneca.
It can be recalled that COVID-19 vaccines from British drugmaker AstraZeneca will be prioritized to medical frontliners age 60 years old and above.
“To those who are yet to complete their inoculation drive with Sinovac, they have to finish (vaccinating) with the first dose of Sinovac those in their masterlist before they can jump to AstraZeneca,” said Loreche.
The DOH-7 spokesperson said administering an individual with two different brands of COVID-19 vaccines is not allowed.
Central Visayas’ COVID-19 vaccination campaign began last March 4 with a ceremony held at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medica Center (VSMMSC), the largest COVID-referral hospital in the region.
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/bmjo