TACLOBAN CITY-The vaccination activities here in the city resumed Monday (June 21) after of more than a week of temporary stoppage.
The scheduled inoculation drive on June 21 to 25 at the USAID Building in Kanhuraw Hill will be for target barangays 76, 1&4, 50-A, 59-B, 59, and 79.
On June 21 to 24, another vaccination drive will take place at Robinsons North Tacloban Mall in Abucay for the A2 Priority Group or Senior Citizens.
These senior citizens will come from target Barangays 3&3A, 18, 17, 28, 47, 5, 89, 30, and 50-B.
Around 500 elderly citizens of the city are expected to receive the jab at each site on the said dates, from 8a.m. to 11a.m., according to the city government.
Senior citizens scheduled for inoculation are reminded to bring their OSCA ID, ball pen, and QR Code; wear facemask and face shield; and show confirmation text message at the verification area to get a priority number.
“No walk-in will be allowed. Only senior clients who have received the confirmation text will be entertained. Those not belonging to the A2 category will not be entertained,” the city government said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the city government said the resumption of the vaccination drive came after a week’s pause due to the surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases which also infected several vaccinated healthcare workers or vaccinators in the city.
Dr. Gloria Fabrigas, acting city health officer, said three nurses, one doctor, two information technologists, and two medical technologists were tested positive for COVID-19.
“However, even before they were infected with the virus, they have been isolated,” said Fabrigas.
The infected health workers were discharged last June 19.
The health official also clarified the confusion over the online vaccination registration that checks the status of the applicant’s jab appointment.
The clarification was issued after some alleged complaints in recent weeks, saying that registrants have not been given their schedules after signing up for vaccination.
Under the new system, https://safecity.tacloban.gov.
Citing Fabrigas, the city’s information arm said that registering online does not mean that the applicant can immediately be notified of their schedule and can be vaccinated.
“Almost 15,000 have already registered online, but this does not denote that they will be automatically be inoculated. It has to follow the priority population,” Fabrigas said.
“They have to be scheduled based on the priority groups (A1-A3) and second, they have to be verified by the barangay,” she added.
According to the health officer, the vaccination activities in the city also depend on the vaccine allocation by the Department of Health (DOH).
As of June 17, the city received 3,000 doses of Sinovac shots, which are good for 1,500 vaccine recipients.
It was learned that since the start of the rollout, about 15,300 people have received the COVID-19 jab and of the said number, almost 9,000 have been fully vaccinated.
Meantime, Tacloban officials urged the public to continue complying with minimum health standards.
Individuals who will be scheduled for vaccination are also advised to get ample rest right after getting their shot, as it typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity, the city government said.
“COVID-19 is here to stay, so we can’t neglect the fact that we need to follow the minimum health standards–it is a shared responsibility,” Fabrigas said. (RONALD O. REYES)
