Cabaero: Inoculation on hold

Cabaero: Inoculation on hold

THE Cebu City Government’s inoculation program for the public has been stopped in two instances already for lack of vaccine supply.

“1st dose on hold,” said the announcement from Vice Mayor Michael Rama’s information desk issued Monday, May 10, 2021. It said the vaccination with the first dose will end at 12 noon that day. The announcement also sought media’s help, but I received the email at 12:25 p.m. based on the message time stamp. There are senior citizens and those with underlying health conditions or comorbidities who qualify for the dose, but they now have to wait for the next delivery of vaccines.

What continued was the giving of the second those to those inoculated about a month ago. Those who received their first dose were given their schedule for the second jab in their vaccination card.

It wasn’t the first time the City suddenly stopped vaccination. Inoculation for the public was first stopped in late April, and it took a week to restart the program. I was fortunate to receive my vaccination last April 22 because the next day, on April 23, the City announced that vaccination would end at 12 noon that day, again, for lack of supply.

Walk-ins were allowed in the first round but not anymore in the second round that started last May 3. This time, senior citizens and those with comorbidities were told to wait for a text message on the date, time and place for their vaccination. (Those who wish to register should go to www.pabakunata.com, the city’s vaccine information management system.)

The public understands that these delays are beyond the control of the Cebu City Government or other agencies involved in the vaccination program. The country is dependent on the arrival of vaccines, donated or purchased, and local government units (LGUs) can only wait for what Manila will send.

The delays are not helping address the problem of vaccine hesitancy or the refusal to get inoculated for any of these reasons: They are not convinced that the Covid-19 is real and deadly, the vaccines available are not the best and are mostly from China where the pandemic started, the side effects can kill you, and there is the alternative of a medicine that has been known to prevent infection. Others are taking a wait-and-see attitude until the better vaccine becomes available.

The delays are boosting the hesitancy, the wait-and-see attitude of those who would rather let others be vaccinated first to see if the vaccine is safe and effective.

The inoculation drives have helped convince others to get jabbed. Every person inoculated can have a family member, relative, friend or colleague get jabbed as well. That’s the best campaign for the vaccine.

The number of those willing to be jabbed will continue to grow. It is now up to the government to meet demand with adequate supply. Any delay disrupts the momentum gained from past vaccination rounds.

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