FORTY-SEVEN percent or 6,684 of the 14,100 doses of bivalent Covid-19 vaccine delivered to Central Visayas have been availed of by health care workers, senior citizens and people with comorbidities as of Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023, according to local health officials.
The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH 7) is targeting to administer all doses to priority groups A1, A2 and A3 by Aug. 31, Anthony Cu, director of the DOH Central Office’s Field Implementation and Coordination Team-Field Operations System Management, said in a press conference in Cebu City on Thursday, Aug. 3.
Frontline workers in health facilities, health professionals, and non-professionals like medical students, nursing aides, janitors and barangay health workers comprise the A1 priority group, while senior citizens aged 60 and above belong to A2.
The A3 priority group consists of persons with comorbidities, including immunocompromised individuals.
Bivalent vaccines will be given as a third booster dose to the three priority groups.
The rollout in the Central Visayas region—comprising the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor—started last June 26, four days after the national rollout and 23 days after the arrival of the first batch of doses donated by the Lithuanian government. The vaccines will expire in November.
Of the 6,684 individuals who availed themselves of the third dose, 6,402 belong to the A1 and A2 population, while 282 belong to the A3 group, according to Dr. Joan Antonette Albito, coordinator for DOH 7’s City Health Department National Immunization Program.
Cebu City ranked highest in the administration of bivalent jabs from June 26 to Aug. 2—4,715 doses. It was followed by Mandaue City (596 doses), Bohol (360 doses), and Lapu-Lapu City (180).
Meanwhile, Cebu Province administered only 90 doses. The province of Siquijor, with 33 doses, was lowest on the list.
Assistant Cebu City Health Officer Dr. Carol Cajecas said Cebu Province, including the highly urbanized cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, had been allocated 9,900 doses.
As of Aug. 2, there were 4,319 bivalent vaccine doses that could be only availed of by members of the priority groups at the office of the Cebu City Health Department in Barangay Carreta.
The vaccines are available free of charge, and qualified individuals are required to bring their vaccine or booster cards, aside from their government-issued IDs, the DOH 7 said.
Cu said a bivalent vaccine can help decrease hospitalization and death of vulnerable individuals, and it can lessen the severity of symptoms once they are infected with Covid-19.
Contrary to the original vaccine shots that target only one strain of the Covid-19 virus, bivalent vaccines can provide protection against two virus strains: the original Covid-19 strain and Omicron subvariants. (HIC)