634 Cebu City seniors vaccinated on Day 1

No serious adverse events were reported as 634 elderly people in Cebu City received COVID-19 vaccine on the first day of the vaccine rollout for senior citizens yesterday.

The vaccinations are being conducted in the city's two vaccination sites -- Robinsons Galleria Cebu and University of Cebu-Banilad Campus.

Cebu City Councilor David Tumulak said the seniors were already at the sites as early as 6 a.m.

Except for an elevated blood pressure before the vaccination experienced by some seniors, no serious events were noted yesterday, said Tumulak.

The councilor has one request to those accompanying the seniors, though:

"We encourage yayas, doctors, nurses, anak, who accompanied their lolo and lola to observe designated chairs for them. we will increase chairs tomorrow (today). We urge senior citizens, through their children, to register online to avoid delay."

City Health Office officerin-charge Jeffrey Ibones said the city targets to administer all 5,000 doses of Sinovac until Friday with at least 500 seniors targeted to be vaccinated each site.

The seniors who registered for the rollout are being scheduled to ensure smooth flow of the proceedings. Their respective schedules are relayed through phone call or text message.

Yesterday's vaccinated seniors were from the barangays of Mabolo and Mambaling.

The schedules, Tumulak said, are based on the barangay's readiness and total number of registered seniors for vaccination.

The seniors were picked up from the designated pickup area in the barangay and brought to the vaccination site and back.

WEBSITE

The Cebu City government also officially launched the website www. PaBakunaTa.com, which city residents could use in registering online for the COVID-19 vaccination.

Cerwin Eviota of the Cebu Citizens Initiative, information education campaign (IEC) cluster of the City Vaccine Board, said the website was created so that people can register using a site that is easier to remember.

“Daghan nangutana unsaon man pagparehistro sa online, nga ang online address sa MICS (Management Information and Computer Services) mura'g lisod man i-memorize. So, our group came up with www. PaBakunaTa.com,” said Eviota.

“We will keep on campaigning to the public in the barangays nga sud lang mo, adto mo'g internet using sa internetan nga computer, computer sa inyong balay, or mobile phones,” he added.

Eviota said the website would complement to the city's registration site at https://mics. cebucity.gov.ph/vims/.

“Afterall, it is only a forwarding address, not an independent website. When you enter the URL, it throws you to the site,” he said.

PALMA AS ‘POSTER BOY’

Posters and tarpaulins urging the public to register through PaBakunaTa.com will also be installed in different barangays.

Eviota said they also have a special campaign for the senior citizens.

A poster of Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma urging the seniors to have themselves vaccinated will be reproduced and distributed to the barangays and posted on social media.

The Vaccine Board's IEC cluster also came up with a two-minute and 15-second campaign jingle which was composed by Jude Gitamondoc and performed by Missing Filemon.

Eviota said they are urging the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas-Cebu Chapter to play the jingle on different platforms, especially on radio.

“Para magsige'g remind sa mga tawo nga para sad mawa ang ilang kahadlok kay hangtod karon daghan pa man gyud ang mga kaigsuonan nato nga mahadlok pa sa bakuna,” said Eviota.

“That is why we are exerting effort to come up with campaigns so that people would embrace being vaccinated kontra COVID,” he added.

Association of Barangay Councils president Franklyn Ong disclosed that starting this week, a barangay vaccination registration desk will be put up in each of the city's 80 barangays for residents who want to register for the vaccination and those who want to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine.

VACCINATION STATS

The Department of Health-7 reported that as of April 18, a total of 567,229 senior citizens have already been included in Central Visayas master list.

DOH-7 spokesperson Dr. Mary Jean Loreche said the figure is broken down as follows: 157,705 in Bohol; 11,322 in Siquijor; 128,025 in Negros Oriental; 160,832 in Cebu; 88,000 in Cebu City; 3,500 in Lapu-Lapu City; and 9,845 in Mandaue City.

Loreche said the vaccines being used by LGUs to vaccinate senior citizens were intended for the healthcare workers who refused or have not decided yet to be vaccinated.

She also said that the Sinovac vaccine can be used for senior citizens.

“Based on the submitted studies by the producer of the vaccines, it is as effective as when given to those under 59 and those senior citizens,” said Loreche.

As of April 18, a total of 76,349 (57.9 percent) out of the 131,781 healthcare workers in Central

Visayas have been vaccinated with the first dose while 14,652 (19.2%) have been vaccinated with the first and second doses.

Of the total number of healthcare workers vaccinated, 2,107 adverse events were reported for both Sinovac and AstraZeneca and 2,106 were all mild symptoms, except for one serious event reported.

With respect to reports that a Chinese man reportedly died a few days after being inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine, Loreche said there is no proof of direct link between the vaccines and deaths.

“There are stories circulating about an elderly who died and supposedly linked to a history of vaccination three days prior to the event. Based on review of records, we assure the public that there is no clear link between death and the vaccine. Let's respect the dead and the family,” Loreche said.

“Also, we reiterate to the public our trust and confidence on the safety and efficacy of the vaccines,” Loreche added.