WITH the three-day national vaccination drive approaching, local government units (LGUs) in Cebu are revving up preparations to get more people into their vaccination centers.
In Lapu-Lapu City, Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan offers residents a chance to win exciting prizes.
Chan announced on his Facebook page that residents can participate in the raffle draw by providing their vaccination registration number and address on the comment box of his FB post.
Motorcycles, television sets, and an overnight stay in a resort are among the many prizes to be given away for vaccinated individuals and those who will participate in the three-day national vaccination drive in Lapu-Lapu City on November 29, 2021 to December 1.
Chan said the City will also give away nine mountain bikes, three home purifiers, 15 WiFi modems, and 30 five-kilo sacks of rice.
In an interview with Sunstar Cebu, Lapu-Lapu City Legal Officer James Sayson said 13 percent of the 50,000 minors in their master list had been vaccinated as of Nov. 24, 2021.
Sayson also said they will deploy additional manpower to the different vaccination sites during the three-day drive.
“Those non-essential workers from the respective offices will be pulled out especially those who have a medical background,” he said in Cebuano.
Sayson added that last Nov. 23, individuals listed under the A1 (healthcare worker) and A2 (senior citizens) priority groups started to receive their booster shots.
Booster shots
Meanwhile, the Cebu City Government will start giving Covid-19 booster shots to health care workers on Monday, Nov. 29, 2021, the first day of the nationwide vaccination drive.
Jeffrey Ibones, Cebu City Health Department head said, healthcare workers who want to get their booster shots must first register in the online registration portal: www.pabakunata.com and state their vaccine brand preference.
Ibones clarified that only fully-vaccinated healthcare workers or healthcare workers who have received two vaccine shots are entitled to the booster, provided that their Covid-19 vaccination happened at least six months before the intended booster shot or longer.
Ibones said the booster shots will be administered only at the regular vaccination sites for the meantime.
No boosters will be given at the city’s “pop-up” vaccination sites, Ibones added.
Ibones added that they might be able to accommodate senior citizens and individuals with comorbidities for their booster shot but only after Dec. 1.
“We will announce in due time and we ask people to register beforehand. For now, A1 would be prioritized,” Ibones said.
Vaccination sites
Cebu City will have 90 vaccination sites for National Vaccination Day.
The three-day event that is being organized by the National Government aims to vaccinate 15 million Filipinos in 16 regions outside Metro Manila to reach the country’s goal of population protection at the soonest possible time.
“We have met our barangay captains involved in the 90 vaccination sites. We informed them what to do including our area medical officers, our area nurse supervisors and our chief nurse.
They have toured the sites to prepare,” Ibones said.
“Mostly, 80-90 percent of barangays have sites. Like for example, Mambaling. Guadalupe alone has three vaccination sites. Lahug has two, so do Cogon Pardo and Kinasang-an. Some barangays have two sites because they are large barangays and some of them fall short in the total percentage of vaccinees,” Ibones explained.
Ibones also said there are some barangays that are way below the desired vaccination rates, such as Kinasang-an, Cogon Pardo and Suba, with only 30-40 percent of their residents that have been vaccinated.
“That is why we go near them so that more of them will be encouraged to get vaccinated. We went near Ermita, Lahug and Punta Princesa several times even though they have adequate vaccination rates because of the size of their areas,” Ibones added.
Ibones called on unvaccinated individuals to get themselves jabbed.
All one needs to do to get vaccinated is to present a valid ID, Ibones said.
People can walk-in, however, pre-registration is encouraged to speed up the process.
All eligible individuals will be accommodated, however, Ibones said children aged 12-17 are to be vaccinated strictly at the designated sites in Southwestern University and Robinsons Cybergate.
National Vaccination
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier signed Proclamation No. 1253 declaring Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, 2021 as Bayanihan, Bakunahan National Covid-19 Vaccination Days.
For the National Vaccination Days, the Visayas Vaccination Operations Center (VVOC) is targeting to vaccinate 1.3 million individuals in Central Visayas during for the three-day nationwide vaccination.
“Region 7 has a slightly higher target of 442,826 daily for three days. It means that within those three days, we need to vaccinate 1,328,478 individuals,” VVOC spokesperson Mary Jean Loreche said in her Project Balik Buhay daily briefing.
Loreche projects that there will be around 2,952 vaccination teams in about 984 vaccination sites across the region.
An estimated 8,857 healthcare workers will be manning the sites.
Loreche said the A1, A1 expanded, OFWs who will go overseas in four months, A2 A3, A3 expanded like pregnant women, 12-17 pediatric with or without comorbidities, A4 workers in essential services, A5 or indigent population, the rest of the adult population and the rest of the pediatric population can be vaccinated.
“It means that everyone can get themselves vaccinated in these three days either you have signed up in your LGUs or you can do walk-ins which are also allowed,” Loreche said.
Since the three days will be special working holidays, employers of workers who will join the vaccination drive have been directed not to mark their workers absent for as long as they are able to show proof of vaccination.
Booster shots for healthcare workers, senior citizens and persons with comorbidities are also allowed during the three-day National Covid-19 Vaccination Days. (CAL, JOB)