Pfizer vaccines run out in Cebu City, VOC mulls using vaccine site for other brands

A senior citizen signs up for COVID-19 vaccination at a vaccination site at the SM Seaside City Cebu on Thursday, April 22, 2021. | CDN Digital file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Pfizer vaccines against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have run out in Cebu City rendering its dedicated vaccination site temporarily shut down.

Doctor Jeffrey Ibones, head of the City Health Department (CHD), said in a phone interview that all 5,000 Pfizer doses were totally distributed by May 28, 2021.

The site at the University of Cebu (UC) campus in Barangay Sambag I has been temporarily shut down for now because it has been dedicated to Pfizer vaccine inoculation.

However, the Vaccination Operations Center (VOC) will be proposing to Vice Mayor Michael Rama, the lead convenor of the city’ vaccination program, to convert the site as an all-brand vaccination site.

“Atong ipropose kay Vice Mayor Rama and Mayor (Edgardo) Labella nga atong itransform ang UC site to another vaccine site for AstraZeneca or any brand nga moabot,” said Ibones.

(We will propose to Vice Mayor Rama and Mayor (Edgardo) Labella that we will transform the UC site [for Pfizer vaccines] to another vaccine site for AstraZeneca or any brand that will arrive.)

For the AstraZeneca vaccines, only 14,ooo doses are left, and the VOC expects the roll-out to be completed by next week.

Unless another batch of vaccines would be delivered and allocated to Cebu City, Ibones said the roll-out for the first dose would have to be stopped and some sites would have to be temporarily shut down as well.

Second-dose distribution will not be affected and will continue at UC Banilad Campus and Robinsons Galleria as the doses are already reserved.

“Dili ta ka ingon if mahunong gyod ta next week sa ato first dose pero nagsige tag pangayo sa DOH (Department of Health) kada adlaw. Nagtawag ta, aron makahibaw ta if naay padung nga allocation,” said Ibones.

(We cannot say that we will stop next week on our first dose but we continue to request DOH every day. we call them, so that we will know if there are allocations that are coming.)

For now, Ibones said more individuals were already getting vaccinated per day averaging at 1,000 each site.

Individuals scheduled for vaccination report that the line has been long in the sites and it takes more time to be vaccinated.

The VOC appeals for patience as though the line is long, the time it takes for a single person to complete the vaccination is relatively the same.

This means that the line is constantly moving even if it is longer than usual.

The sites also require a proof of schedule, which is the text message from the CEBU CITY VAX, for an individual to be catered. No walk-ins are allowed except for individuals due for second-dose.

According to Councilor David Tumulak, the vaccine site coordinator, the total individuals vaccinated in the city has reached 40,267 with at least 9,768 of these already getting their second dose.

The total medical workers vaccinated reached 6,375, total senior citizens vaccinated reached 18,330, and total people with co-morbidities vaccinated reached 12,243.

The city has also begun vaccinating workers for the A4 priority group, but there is no data yet on the number of individuals vaccinated from this group.

The city government encourage more people to register for the program so that they will get allocated a vaccine.

/dbs

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