DAVAO City hopes to vaccinate against the Covid-19 all of its target population before the year ends during the second round of the national vaccination drive from December 15 to 17, 2021.
Covid-19 Task Force Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser said in a radio interview that the nationwide vaccine rollout will be the same concept as the first round, wherein all vaccination hubs in the city will be open to all walk-in vaccinees. The first "Bayanihan, Bakunahan" was staged from November 29 to December 1. It was later extended to December 3.
"Open tanang vaccination hub. I-serve nato tanang (All our vaccination hubs are open. We will be serving) prioritization [groups]: A1 (healthcare workers), A2 (senior citizens), A3 (persons with comorbidities), A4 (essential workers), and A5 (indigent population). Pati atong pediatric patients (ages 12 to 17 years old)," Schlosser said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio Friday afternoon, December 10.
She also said the city will open its drive-thru vaccination and evening vaccination to cater to all vaccinees who have yet to get their first dose, second dose, or missed doses.
In addition, health district offices in the city will now be serving vaccinees who will be getting their booster shots for groups A2 and A3.
The City Government has administered anti-Covid-19 vaccines to a total of 75,476 residents during the first round of the Bayanihan Bakunahan.
Of the total number, 59,807 were inoculated for the first dose, 13,751 with the second dose, and 1,918 were administered with booster dose.
Schlosser, in a recent interview, noted the 47,000 per day target was not achieved despite the City Government’s pooling all resources and the all-out support of other public and private sectors. She said success in the anti-Covid vaccination drive boils down to the cooperation of the people.
Vaccine hesitancy is the main factor as to why they could not meet their targets, she said.
Davao City is among the 23 highly urbanized cities in the country that have already achieved population protection against Covid-19, according to Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año on Monday, December 7, 2021.
According to the Davao City Vaccination Cluster, as of December 1, the city has already achieved 87-percent herd immunity for the first dose or a total of 1,136,577 vaccinated persons, while 967,053 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have already been administered for the second dose, bringing the herd immunity percent to 75.
On the part of the city, this is still a number to improve as Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said the city is targeting to vaccinate a total of 1,299,894 Dabawenyos.
The mayor added the city is targeting to administer 140,945 first doses to achieve herd immunity before the end of the year.
"We are looking at 140,945 first doses [to achieve herd immunity] assuming that we have 15 days na lang nabilin (left)," Duterte-Carpio said.
She added the remaining 140,000 unvaccinated doses might not be achievable in just 15 days.
The city has now also increased its target from the 1.2 million herd immunity to "100-percent vaccination" of the estimated 1.8 million total population.
This, after the city had now started rolling out the vaccines to the pediatric age groups.