Cebu City has over 100 vaccinators ready for mass vaccination

Cebu City is more than prepared for its planned mass vaccination with more than 100 vaccinators waiting to be deployed.  / AFP)

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City has over 100 vaccinators ready for deployment for the planned mass Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination for city residents in the coming months.

The arrival of the Sinovac vaccines on March 2, 2021, has encouraged the city government to prepare for the arrival of more vaccine allocations of Sinovac from the national government.

The city will most likely procure AstraZeneca from its P400 million budget, as the City Council has already asked Mayor Edgardo Labella to send a letter of intent to the pharmaceutical company for the procurement.

Doctor Jeffrey Ibones, the acting city health officer, told reporters in a phone interview that the City Health Department (CHD) has 100 available health workers that are trained for general vaccination.

Since the vaccine is only intramuscular, this would be a routine procedure for these health workers stationed in the barangays or at the City Health Office.

The city is planning to have 10 vaccination sites with four vaccinators each working from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This means that essentially, the city only needs 40 vaccinators per day.

The 100 vaccinators would be more than enough if each site does shifting.

Still, the CHD is partnering with medical groups such as the Philippine Nursing Association (PNA) and All-Terrain Medical Relief Organization (AMRO) for volunteers.

“Naa naman gyod tay mga vaccinators daan kay ang kanang pagbakuna kaya naman na sa atong mga health workers. Pero modawat gihapon tag volunteers aron magpuli-puli sila,” said Ibones.

This is one way to ensure sustainability in the program, which could last until a year for the target 70 percent of the city’s population or when the city has achieved herd immunity.

City Administrator Floro Casas, Jr., said that there are three malls in the north and south districts in the city that has offered to be a site for the vaccination.

Although nothing is final yet, Casas said the city government allows the use of malls as vaccine sites because it would be comfortable for the residents to be inoculated there.

Other sites may include schools, medical centers, or barangay gyms, and Casas said they are intensifying preparations with the expectations that more vaccines will come.

He said that while the city waits for the vaccines, it will continue the preparations to make the program run smoothly. /rcg