A total of 227 call center agents and other employees of a business process outsourcing (BPO) company here received the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine on Saturday, the first on-site inoculation rollout of a private firm in Negros Oriental.

Joslyn Canon, community relations director of Qualfon Philippines, Inc. – Dumaguete, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) it would be a series of on-site vaccination activities for their employees following an arrangement with the Provincial Health Office (PHO).

Qualfon, which has 3,500 employees, will have twice-a-month on-site vaccination to fall on a Saturday, Canon added.

Assistant Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Liland Estacion, led the mobile vaccination team that administered the shots, with the BPO also providing a doctor, a nurse, and some staff to help in pre- and post-vaccination activities at the Qualfon compound.

Nineteen non-Qualfon workers were also accommodated by the PHO, including some employees of the owner of the BPO’s rented buildings.

The provincial government aims to meet the Department of Health’s directive to inoculate 25,000 people daily.

Health authorities are also studying the possibility of house-to-house and campus vaccination to meet the daily quota.

Estacion earlier noted the low performance of local government units, with only 3,000 to 5,000 people a day availing of jabs.

The province targes to inoculate 908,939 but as of November 8, only 176,993 have been fully vaccinated.

Of the 5,058 active Covid-19 cases in Central Visayas as of the November 9 data of the Department of Health, Negros Oriental has the highest number of infections among four provinces, with 2,674.

Overall, Cebu has the most infections at 33,954 but only 534 remain active. (PNA)