Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak is asking the Visayas Vaccination Operation Center (VVOC) to allocate more vaccines to the city. | file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City expects to roll out 5,000 newly delivered doses of the Sinovac vaccines in only one day.
Councilor David Tumulak, the point person for the vaccination site, said that the doses were delivered early this morning and they will be reopening five sites tomorrow, July 1, 2021.
The sites include the Robinsons Galleria, SM Seaside, NOAH Complex, and two campuses of the University of Cebu (UC).
Tumulak said that the 5,000 doses will only last one day with each site averaging 1,000 vaccinated individuals per day. The sites will close again thereafter if no additional vaccines will come.
He said that this is such a huge effort for the city to reopen and close sites after only one day of the roll-out, which is why he is asking the Visayas Vaccination Operation Center (VVOC) to allocate more vaccines.
Furthermore, he is also asking the VVOC that if possible, the delivery of vaccines be in bulk because 5,000 barely covers a one-day roll-out.
“Dili lalim magput-up og vaccination site. We don’t open vaccination sites nga ing-ana ka dali and dili pud lalim nga ishutdown ang vaccine site. It takes so much effort og sayang kaayo atong efforts if mag-abli unya serado ta,” said Tumulak.
The councilor said the city government has been promised a total of 14,000 doses of which 5,000 is the initial delivery for now.
The city government will still roll out the 5,000 doses immediately and have informed those scheduled for vaccination for their assigned site.
However, Tumulak said the public must not expect the roll-out to continue beyond July 1, 2021, unless more doses will arrive.
Even though Cebu City finds 5,000 doses insufficient, it must be noted that the city has the largest allocation among any local government unit in Cebu.
Other LGUs were only provided 2,000 doses each.
Tumulak appeals to the national government to already allow LGUs and private establishments to purchase their own vaccines because the vaccine supply from the national government is simply not enough.
“Kulang kaayo. Time na gyod nga makapalit na ang ang LGU and private sector.” /rcg