To improve turnout, Lapu-Lapu to transport elderly to vax sites
Cebu City Government inoculated 718 persons with comorbidities on Wednesday, May 5, 2021
The Department of Health 7 says 40,644 healthcare workers in Central Visayas have yet to receive their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine
DESPITE its information drive, the Lapu-Lapu City Government has reported a low turnout of senior citizens having themselves inoculated with the Covid-19 vaccine.
The possible reasons could be that some residents who are 60 years old and above have difficulty going to the vaccination sites or they do not know where the vaccination sites are located, said Grace Mary Carungay, the city epidemiological and surveillance unit officer.
On the resumption of vaccination efforts for the elderly on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, only 268 senior citizens had themselves inoculated in the city’s three vaccination sites—195 in Gun-ob Elementary School, 69 in the Barangay Agus’ gym and four in the Sta. Rosa Hospital.
The fourth vaccination site, the ARC Hospitals, was not used as the venue is near the Agus gym.
To make sure that the City’s vaccination campaign would not be wasted, Carungay said they have decided to deploy tricycles to fetch senior citizens in their barangays and transport them to the nearest vaccination sites starting Monday, May 10.
The City will rent 20 tricycles to transport the senior citizens, who will be fetched according to the barangays’ schedules of vaccination.
Vaccination in Cebu City
In Cebu City, at least 718 persons with comorbidities were vaccinated on the first day of the inoculation schedule for persons with comorbidities Wednesday, May 5.
The persons with comorbidities belonging to Priority Code A3 were vaccinated with Sinovac vaccines.
A total of 2,008 individuals was vaccinated on May 5, including the senior citizens and healthcare workers who belong to Priority Codes A2 and A1, respectively.
The Cebu City Government started the inoculation of persons with comorbidities on May 5.
Cebu City Health Department officer-in-charge Jeffrey Ibones said they are targeting to inoculate 100 persons with comorbidities per site starting 1 p.m. daily.
The city’s vaccine sites are University of Cebu Banilad, Robinsons Galleria Cebu and SM Seaside City Cebu.
Ibones said a medical certificate or latest prescription or any other proof must be presented by a person to show he has a comorbidity.
More than 31,000 persons with comorbidities have registered for Cebu City’s Covid-19 vaccination program as of May 5, surpassing the 28,000 registered senior citizens.
Ibones said several persons under the Priority Code A3 opted to register because most of them are informed and they belong to the working class.
Some senior citizens, meanwhile, are hesitant to avail themselves of the vaccines.
Ibones said the age also matters since most persons belonging to the A3 sector are under 60 years old and most do not believe false reports about Covid-19 vaccines.
If fewer senior citizens go to the vaccination sites in the next few days, Ibones said they will slowly increase the number of persons with comorbidities to be accommodated per day.
As for the senior citizens, Ibones said around 8,000 senior citizens have received their first dose of the Sinovac vaccine.
The City has also continued to accommodate medical workers who belong to Priority Code A1.
Ibones said 106 medical workers have already received their second dose at Robinsons Galleria on Wednesday morning.
Around 14,000 medical workers in Cebu City whose inoculation was undertaken by the City have received their first shots.
DOH 7 updates
The Department of Health (DOH) 7 reported Wednesday that a total of 35,234 healthcare workers have already completed their vaccinations as of Tuesday, May 4.
They are among the 91,137 (69.2 percent) Central Visayas healthcare workers who have already received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
The DOH 7, however, still has to vaccinate 40,644 healthcare workers for their first dose.
The agency also said 577,126 senior citizens have registered for vaccination. Of this number, 13,445 (2.33 percent) already got their first dose.