MORE than 20,000 members of the transport sector belonging to the Priority Group A4 in Davao City will receive their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine.
City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) Head Dionisio Abude said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio the vaccine rollout will be held at the Agro-Industrial Foundation College in Ecoland, Matina on Saturday, July 3, 2021, starting at 8 a.m. The vaccine rollout will last for 20 days.
Abude said aside from the public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers, they also target to vaccinate conductors and dispatchers, among others.
"Inspector, dispatcher, apil na sila. Mas vulnerable gani ang konduktor kay mao to sige balik-balik ug tuyok sa bus. Maong dapat maapil sab na sila," he said.
(These include inspectors and dispatchers. Most especially the conductors since they are more vulnerable considering they will be roaming around the bus. That is why we must include them in the vaccine rollout.)
Abude said they are also pushing to include transport company employees in the vaccination rollout for the transport sector.
He said they are expecting to receive more doses as they are pushing to vaccinate everyone in the transport sector.
"After this 20,000,naa pa man muabot-abot kay ang target nato is tanang (there will be more batches that will be arriving since we are targeting to vaccinate all) drivers," he said.
The traffic head said they will strictly abide by the process from pre-registration up to post-vaccination monitoring.
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-Davao Region (LTFRB-Davao) Director Nonito Llanos III said other PUV beneficiaries are those with existing franchises including trucks-for-hire, public utility buses, taxis, UV express, among others.
Llanos also said PUV drivers, whether Davao City residents or not but as long as they are traversing in the city, are allowed to get a Covid-19 vaccine sponsored by the Davao City government during the rollout.
"Sa tibuok Pilipinas, first time ning nahitabo nga usa ka rehiyon nga gisponsoran og usa ka local government, labi na sa natad sa public transportation," Llanos said.
(In the entire Philippines, this is the first time that a certain region is being sponsored by a certain local government in the vaccine rollout, especially for those in the public transportation sector.)
The LTFRB official emphasized the importance of vaccinating the transport sector, which is also an essential sector.
"Mao ni ron ang importanteng commodity. This is na ma-vaccinan ta kay mao ni ang rason nga makabalik ta sa new normal," Llanos said.
(This is an important commodity, this is the reason we must be vaccinated so that we can proceed to the new normal.)
Priority Group A4 includes the public and private school teachers, workers from the tourism sector, private companies, mall employees, and members of the transport sector.
The Davao City government has scheduled the Priority Group A4 in different vaccination hubs.
Some 2,459 doses are available for the Tourism Sector and Philippine Coast Guard at Waterfront Insular Hotel; 2,000 doses for Boysen at Sasa Warehouse; 3,000 doses for Davao Colleges and Universities Network; 3,000 doses for the Philippine Women’s College and University of Mindanao Bolton Campus; 1,300 doses for the Davao Association of College Schools; 1,300 doses for Ateneo de Davao University; 1,500 doses for San Miguel Brewery workers at Davao Doctors Hospital; 4,000 doses for the Department of Education at various schools jab sites; 1,000 for the Chinatown Development Council at Chong Hua School; and, 4,000 for workers of Abreeza Mall, Gaisano Mall, SM, and NCCC Malls.
Based on the Davao City Covid-19 vaccination program, a total of 257,253 anti-Covid vaccines have been administered to individuals belonging to Priority Groups A1, A2, A3, A4, and A5 in Davao City. Of the number, 211,425 were administered for the first dose while 45, 828 were for the second dose.
A total of 41,248 have received their first dose while 26,924 received their second dose for Priority Group A1 or the healthcare frontliners. For the senior citizens (A2), a total of 72,033 have received their first dose and 26,924 for the second dose. For A3 or persons with comorbidities, some 87,046 have been inoculated with their first dose while 6,847 have received their second dose. In the A4 group, 6,647 have received their first dose, while in the A5, 4,451 received the first dose and 140 in the second dose. (With reports from CIO)