IN JUST three days, a total of 3,747 senior citizens have been inoculated against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Talisay.
The biggest turnout was in Cebu City, where inoculations began on Monday, April 19, 2021.
As of Wednesday, April 21, the Cebu City Health Department (CHD) said 2,711 senior citizens have received the vaccine, or an average of 903 per day, in both vaccination sites at the Robinsons Galleria and University of Cebu (UC) Banilad.
On Wednesday alone, the CHD administered the Sinovac vaccine to 1,144 senior citizens, exceeding its target of 1,000 recipients for the day.
In Lapu-Lapu City, where vaccination of senior citizens started on Tuesday, April 20, a total of 528 were inoculated in the first two days, or 40 percent of the 1,280 targeted recipients this week.
“More senior citizens than frontliners agreed to receive the vaccine,” City Health Office head Dr. Agnes Realiza said Wednesday.
There are around 20,000 senior citizens in the city, based on the list of the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (Osca), while there are only around 3,000 barangay health workers and other medical frontliners.
Realiza said only about 65 percent of the frontliners have been given the vaccine, lower than the Department of Health (DOH) standard to vaccinate at least 70 percent.
In Mandaue City, vaccination of senior citizens began Wednesday.
Subangdaku Barangay Captain Ernie Manatad, who is also the Mandaue City Vaccine Committee chairman, said a total of 299 senior citizens from barangays Subangdaku, Tabok and Cabancalan, were inoculated.
These barangays were the first barangays to complete their master lists of senior citizens who are willing to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
Manatad said they were just short by one person of their targeted 300 recipients from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the first day.
In Talisay City, 209 senior citizens were given their first Covid-19 jabs on Monday, April 19. Vaccinations were halted on Tuesday and Wednesday to conduct maintenance work at the vaccination site in Brgy. Lagtang. Vaccinations will resume Thursday, April 22.