DESPITE the expected high turnout for the third Bayanihan Bakunahan: National Vaccination Day in Davao City, only 5,662 total doses were administered during the first day of the event on February 10, 2022.
Dr. Michelle Schlosser, spokesperson of the Davao City Covid-19 Task Force, said of the 5,662 doses administered, 618 were first doses, 2,844 were second doses, and 2,200 were booster doses.
“Compared to the part one and part two, this part three launching, medyo mababa ang atong output (we have a low output),” said Schlosser during a radio interview on Friday, February 11.
Schlosser said the mass vaccination drive will be extended until February 18 to be able to administer more booster doses, which she said had a low turnout.
“Medyo mababa ang atong booster dose,” said Schlosser. “Taas atong rate for fully vaccinated individuals, almost naka 100 percent na ta sa atong herd immunity na target pero we are fast tracking booster dose kay wala ta kabalo kanus-a na pod mag evolve ang virus, magkaroon na pud ta og bag-ong variant.”
(Vaccines administered for the booster dose were quite low. We are almost at 100 percent of our herd immunity target, but we are fast-tracking the booster dose because we do not know when the virus will evolve and another variant will emerge.)
Vaccination of more senior citizens and other vulnerable groups is also prioritized during the third installment of the mass vaccination event.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson also announced that the City Government is planning to open vaccination sites during weekends to cater to Dabawenyos who do not have the time on weekdays.
The sites in Davao Crocodile Park and People’s Park Davao will hold a pilot run of the weekend vaccination on Saturday, February 12, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Schlosser said the waiting time in vaccination sites is now shorter since there are more than enough vaccination sites in the city that can cater to a lot of people at the same time.
To date, Schlosser said all vaccination sites are open for the ongoing National Vaccination Day, as well as remote sites in hotels and malls such as the Bakuna by the Sea at the Waterfront Insular Hotel, and a soon-to-open site at Matina Town Square.