Some 7,200 doses of COVID vax arrive in Cebu, vaccination starts March 4

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY – Some 7,200 doses in 12 boxes of Sinovac arrived today at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu as part of the 600,000 doses donated by China that arrived in Manila on February 28 and health officials here expects the Cebu rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines to start on March 4.

According to Dr. Van Philip Baton, medical coordinator for infectious diseases at the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) that vaccination is the only way for the country to achieve herd immunity once a large portion of the population is inoculated.

“As we start the vaccination, we would like to tell the public that vaccines really work. Let’s give our vaccines a chance. Vaccines have been proven to be effective, safe and has saved lot of lives,” Baton said during the Mugstoria Ta, an online conversation hosted by Assistant Secretary Jonji Gonzales of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV)

With the arrival of the vaccines and vaccination rolls out soon, Cebu officials and health experts expressed optimism that the Philippines is on the road to economic revival and gradual achievement of herd immunity.

Baton urged the public to trust the process and believe that vaccination will speed up the resumption to normalcy economic-wise and travel-wise.

Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, chief pathologist at DOH-7 said that achieving herd immunity will depend on how fast the country can vaccinate people.  “The arrival of the vaccines has really given us a glimmer hope in our fight against COVID-19,” she added and pointing out that benefits outweigh the risks of getting vaccinated.

Loreche stated that the willingness of the public to be inoculated is crucial in the country’s quest to experience herd immunity, which is a form of indirect protection from infectious disease when enough percentage of a population has become immune to an infection, whether through vaccination or previous infections.

She still urged the public to remain cautious even after vaccination. “It doesn’t mean that if you get vaccinated, you no longer follow the minimum health protocols. This is our new normal already,” she added.

Dr. Junjie Zuasula, head of DOH-7 Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) said that there is a need to maximize the supply of COVID-19 vaccines already available in the Philippines.  

“Achieving herd immunity takes time, it depends on the supply of vaccines, but one thing is certain we will achieve herd immunity in due time.  Let’s give vaccines a chance. Let’s give science a chance,” Zuasula added.

According to DOH-7 healthcare workers at government-run Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center are the first to receive COVID-19 vaccines in Cebu.

Businessman Kenneth Cobonpue, who is also the chairperson of the Regional Development Council in Central Visayas (RDC-7) said that the business sector is now very eager for the vaccination. He described it as a silver bullet for the economy to revive.

“We need the vaccination for travel and tourism to comeback. Vaccination is the only solution. The start of the inoculation drive gives the much-needed confidence for economic revival,” Cobonpue, who also sits as vice chair of Project Balik Buhay (PBB) said.

Cobonpue bared that the private sector is now very eager and some businesses even want to buy on their own vaccines for their workers, but the business sector “will wait for our turn, it will come,” he said. (Photos: PIA-7)