“OUR vaccines will come possibly in July, but we would like to keep the ball rolling. What we want for Bacolod is that when the vaccines come, everything is smooth and in order. Practice makes perfect, so let’s take this seriously.”
This was stressed by Mayor Evelio Leonardia after the city government held its dry run on coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccination program at Barangay Villamonte Gymnasium on Friday, February 5, 2021.
The simulation included the pickup and transport of vaccines and other supplies from the central cold storage facility to the designated vaccination areas, the actual inoculation, the 30 to 45-minute post-vaccination monitoring, the disinfection of the venues, and the disposal of infectious wastes.
It was spearheaded by the City Health Office (CHO) in coordination with the Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health and Nutrition Division chief, who supervised the CHO personnel. They were assisted by the EPI Medical and Nurse Coordinators and barangay health workers.
“Here in Bacolod, we have proven that there is private and public partnership,” said Leonardia, who heads the Covid-19 Vaccination (CoVac) Council.
He said he is thankful to those who participated in the activity, especially those who are in personal protective equipment.
“For me, this is a very strong indication of your commitment,” he added.
The observers from the Department of Health (DOH) Western Visayas also commended the city’s vaccination simulation exercises.
The vaccination process took 9 to 11 minutes, which is well within the 17-minute cutoff per DOH standards, according to the DOH observers, who also lauded the smooth flow of the vaccination process as well as the observance of health protocols.
One of the firsts in the Philippines, Bacolod’s vaccination simulation was aimed at testing the preparedness of the city government in conducting the actual mass vaccination.
Bacolod is among the first cities to negotiate its Covid-19 vaccines. It has already reserved 650,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to kick off its vaccination program, making it among the top five cities in the country with the biggest vaccine orders together with Davao City, Quezon City, Makati City and the City of Manila.
Aside from AstraZeneca, Leonardia is also talking to other pharmaceutical companies that are developing Covid-19 vaccines.
Councilor Renecito Novero, chairman of the Vaccination Centers Action Team, said the city government has a total of 26 available centers for the Covid-19 vaccination program.
“We are thankful to everyone who made this possible. Let’s continue to inspire our people to volunteer for our vaccination. To those who are having doubts about getting the vaccines because of fear, remember that Covid-19 is more dangerous than the vaccine,” he said.
Barangay Villamonte chieftain Rommel Flores also expressed his gratitude to city officials for giving them a chance to become a model for the simulation activity.
“We do believe that this is a good start and a positive indicator. Through team effort, we could achieve good results to make our community safe and livable,” he said.
The dry run was also attended by Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and other Emergency Operations Center officials including city administrator Em Ang; City Health Officer Dr. Edwin Miraflor; Dr. Chris Sorongon and Dr. Anna Ma. Laarni Pornan – deputies for medical; and Dr. Rosalie Deocampo – head of cluster on contact tracing, and Barangay Villamonte officials.