Vax sites in South bus, North bus terminals soon
Cebu South Bus Terminal | CDN Digital 2020 File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu South bus and North bus terminals will soon have accessible vaccination sites for the public.
The Office of the Presidential Assistant to the Visayas (OPAV) revealed the plan following a meeting with the Visayas Vaccination Operations Center (VVOC), Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7), and Project Balik Buhay (PBB).
The regional Land Transportation and Franchising Board (LTFRB-7) and Land Transportation Office (LTO-7), including the transports have given their support to the project in order to widen the vaccination of Cebu.
“For logistics and staffing (of the additional sites), we can plan this out with the LGU (local government units) where the terminals are located. No identified sites but we can request the transport group to identify,” said Doctor Mary Jean Loreche, the chief pathologist of the DOH-7.
LTFRB 7 Director Eduardo Montealto said two possible sites were the South Bus Terminal along Natalio Bacalso Avenue in Cebu City, and the North Bus Terminal at the North Reclamation Area.
Montealto said that this plan had to be coordinated with and approved by Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia since the two terminals were under the management of the provincial government.
He also said that both the South Bus and North Bus terminals have sustained damage due to typhoon Odette so the vaccination might have to be done inside the buses.
The management of Ceres Bus had already agreed to have vaccinations conducted inside their buses, Montealto said, adding that he expected other bus companies to also allow vaccinations inside their buses. Ceres buses account for 70 percent of buses plying Cebu routes.
LTO 7 Director Victor Emmanuel Caindec also offered the use of the LTO facility along Natalio Bacalso Avenue, Cebu City as an additional vaccination site.
The facility is the LTO 7 Malasakit Licensing Office which RD Caindec said could be used as a vaccination site for the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) drivers.
The move of OPAV, IATF Visayas, and DOH 7 to set up vaccination sites at transport terminals aims to increase the accessibility of jabs to the most number of people. Currently, vaccination sites are located inside shopping malls, schools, and gymnasiums.
Based on the Vaccine Operation Reporting System (VORS) as of January 24, 2022, a total of 5,035,560 vaccine doses have already been administered in the entire Cebu.
Of this number, 2,676,843 are First Doses; 2,258,831 Second Doses, and 99,886 Booster Doses.
Nine Metro Cebu LGUs, which include Cebu City, Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City, Talisay City, Naga City, Consolacion, Minglanilla, Liloan, and Cordova, have collectively achieved a combined 1st Dose Vaccine Coverage Rate (VCR) of 77.70 percent (1.891 million residents) and a 2nd Dose Vaccine Coverage Rate (VCR) of 66.31 percent (1.613 million residents).
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