VOC’s warning: Expect delays in rollout of Pfizer vaccines
| File photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Vaccination Operations Center (VOC) is expecting additional allocations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines with the arrival of additional supply from the Department of Health central office.
A total of 132,000 doses of AstraZeneca and 29,250 doses of Pfizer’s BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines arrived at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) on Tuesday morning, May 11.
READ: Region 7 receives 1st shipment of Pfizer COVID vaccines
Doctor Jeffrey Ibones, the City Health Department (CHD) officer-in-charge, said that as soon they receive new supplies of AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines, they will immediately proceed with the roll-out for the two vaccine brands.
However, Ibones said that those who would prefer the use of Pfizer may have to wait a little longer because of the need to train personnel who will be tasked to administer the jab.
A fresh supply AstraZeneca and Pfizer’s BioNTech arrived at Mactan Cebu International Airport on Tuesday, May 11. | Photos courtesy of Radyo Pilipinas – Cebu
The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) is tasked to train government personnel to administer the vaccine from Pfizer.
“Magtraining paman ta kadyot ana if ma-allocatan tag Pfizer kay di paman familiar atong vaccinators unsaon paghandle. Wala pa sad mi kahibaw unsay need sa Pfizer sa sites,” said Ibones.
(As soon as we are given an allocation, we will have to train our vaccinators because they are not yet familiar on how to administer the Pfizer vaccine. And we still do not know the requirements for the sites to be used in the Pfizer vaccination.)
Ibones said that the use of Pfizer vaccines require a different kind of handling because these will have to be stored separately from the Sinovac and Astrazeneca that were used during the start of the city’s vaccine rollout.
Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, DOH-7 spokesperson, earlier said that the over 29,000 doses of Pfizer’s BioNTech should only be transported and used within Cebu’s highly urbanized cities due to its temperature requirement. Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines need to be stored at a temperature of -70 degrees Celsius.
Ibones is asking city residents who waited for the arrival of the Pfizer vaccines here to consider possible delays in their jab aside from the fact that the supply of said vaccine is also limited.
He said that a lot of Cebuanos have expressed their preference for the Pfizer vaccine.
But Ibones said that they are yet to determine if allowing people to chose their preferred brand will be allowed.
While Mayor Edgardo Labella said in an earlier interview that he will allow people to pick their chosen brand, he still encouraged Cebuanos to get their jab as soon as possible and using whatever is the available vaccine saying that “the best vaccine is the currently available vaccine.”
Health workers and senior citizens who already had their jabs were not also asked to pick their vaccine choice. They were administered with either Sinovac and AstraZeneca, supplies of which started to arrive in March. / dcb
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