ABOUT 800 senior citizens, including the city officials in Bacolod, already received their first dose of Sinovac vaccine against coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Dr. Chris Sorongon, deputy for medical data and analysis of Emergency Operations Center (EOC), said that as of April 27, they already vaccinated about 800 senior citizens, including Councilor Ann Marie Palermo, some department heads and executive assistants at the Bacolod City Hall.

He said Palermo was vaccinated on Monday, April 26, at the Bacolod Government Center.

The senior citizens will receive their second doses of Sinovac vaccine after three weeks.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier approved the use of CoronaVac, the vaccine manufactured by Sinovac, among senior citizens 60 years old and above.

On April 7, the National Covid-19 Vaccination Operations Center issued an advisory on the voluntary vaccination of CoronaVac among senior citizens.

Before the vaccination, Sorongon said senior citizens underwent screening to ensure they are in good health conditions.

He said the vaccination for senior citizens ended Tuesday, April 27, and they will wait for a go signal from the Department of Health (DOH)-Western Visayas for the arrival of additional Covid-19 vaccine for Bacolod next week.

"Once we have the Covid-19 vaccine, we will continue our roll out for our senior citizens who are already registered in our master lists," he added.

Sorongon said it is the purpose of Mayor Evelio Leonardia to prioritize the senior citizens and those with comorbidities because he wanted to protect the most vulnerable sector due to the surged of Covid-19 cases in Bacolod.