The city government will start next week the inoculation of senior citizens and individuals with comorbidities or those at high risk to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Dr. April Mae Maquilang, the immunization coordinator of the City Health Office (CHO), said Thursday they are currently finalizing the list for the first batch of recipients coming from the city’s 26 barangays.
She said the rural health units (RHUs) and the barangays have already informed the eligible recipients, who will be vaccinated with the CoronaVac, the Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech Ltd.
The Department of Health (DOH)-Region 12 delivered to the CHO on Thursday an additional 1,408 doses of the CoronaVac.
In an advisory, the agency said the inoculation of the first batch of eligible senior citizens and persons with comorbidities in the region will start on April 19.
Maquilang said they earlier received a master list of the city’s elderly population from the City Planning and Development Office and the Office of the Senior Citizen Affairs.
“Those who are not included in the list may coordinate with the concerned RHU so we can accommodate them,” she told reporters.
Maquilang said the vaccination will follow the standard process set by the DOH, which includes the pre-screening, counseling, and proper monitoring of the recipients for possible adverse effects.
On Wednesday, officials from the CHO, DOH-12, and the City Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases visited the SM City Mall here after being considered as venue for the expanded vaccination.
Dr. Rochelle Oco, acting CHO head, said the mall will undergo another readiness assessment as a vaccination site for the next priority groups.
She said the implementation schedule will be announced by DOH-12 once the vaccines have been allocated to the local government units.
Aside from the city, South Cotabato province received on Thursday some 2,650 doses of the CoronaVac while Sarangani got 1,200.
These were part of the 18,000 additional vaccine doses delivered by the national government on Wednesday for Soccsksargen. (PNA)
