ONLY six to seven persons out of every 100 vaccine-eligible residents of seven Metro Cebu cities and towns have been inoculated since the vaccination program against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) kicked off about 15 weeks ago.
Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, Department of Health (DOH 7) spokesperson, said that although Metro Cebu is part of the NCR Plus 8 priority areas for vaccination, vaccine supply remains a challenge.
She also noted the low vaccinee turnout, with only 388,066 individuals included in the vaccination masterlists of Cebu City, Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City, Talisay City, Naga City, and the towns of Consolacion and Minglanilla.
They constitute only about 23 percent, or less than a fourth, of the 1,706,117 eligible population in these seven local government units (LGUs).
“Our challenges include vaccine availability. We are dependent on what the national government delivers to us. We are very thankful to the national government for including Metro Cebu as part of the priority areas,” Loreche said.
As of June 15, she said 114,480, or about 6.7 percent, of the 1,706,117 eligible population in the seven LGUs have received the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Of the 114,480, about a third or 37,675 have also received their second dose.
Loreche said she was hopeful that the LGUs would be able to complete their masterlists soon. She urged them to ensure that those on the list would show up for vaccination as scheduled.
“The challenge is very huge for all of us. Let us continue, let’s not lose hope because our goal is to have a very happy, merry Christmas this December 2021,” she said.
She also urged the establishment of vaccination sites. Only 14 out of the 31 planned vaccination venues in Metro Cebu have been set up.
“Preparation of venues too so that by the time that the allocation of vaccines arrives, we can already proceed with the vaccination,” she said.
Since the vaccination program began in the region on March 4, DOH 7 has received a total of 724,310 doses of Covid-19 vaccines, consisting of 322,160 doses of Sinovac, 162,000 doses of AstraZeneca, 239,850 doses of Pfizer, and 300 doses of Sputnik V.
These were distributed to the different LGUs in Central Visayas.