Cebu City prepares for second dose of Covid vaccines

A senior citizen signs up for COVID-19 vaccination at the SM Seaside City Cebu in this April 22, 2021, file photo. CDN Digital photo | Delta Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Vaccine Operations Center (VOC) is preparing for the second dose of vaccines by the middle of May 2021.

Doctor Jeffrey Ibones, the City Health officer-in-charge, said in a phone conference that while there are no available doses to continue the roll-out for the first dose of the vaccines, the schedule for the second dose of those who were already vaccinated is nearing.

Those who were vaccinated in March to April 2021 should expect to get their second dose by May 2021 especially if they were vaccinated with Sinovac.

The Sinovac second dose is waiting to be inoculated as doses were stored specifically for the second jab. The same cannot be said for AstraZeneca because all doses of these vaccines were distributed for the first dose.

Those who will receive the second dose will get a text message for their schedule in the vaccine site. There are at least 6,000 to 7,000 second-doses that need to be administered.

The VOC is now studying the possibility of opening additional sites because first-dose vaccines may arrive during the roll-out for the second dose and so many more people will have to be vaccinated per day.

“Akong gipropose nga ang katong second dose duha sila ka site nya ang first dose duha pud nga laing nga sites. Pero pending pa na sa approval kay tan-awon pa nato atong manpower og logistics,” said Ibones.

As of now, there are three sites waiting to be reactivated including Robinsons Galleria, SM Seaside, and the University of Cebu (UC) Banilad Campus.

Another site may open at SM City Cebu in Barangay Mabolo after the mall promised to give the city government space for the vaccination site.

However, Ibones said the manpower may be a problem as there may not be enough personnel to man all four sites at once.

For now, they are polishing these logistical details as the city waits for more doses of the vaccines. Ibones said the city can only hope that more doses will come because the target 70 percent population needed for herd immunity is still far from reality.

/rcg