No to JAB-less: CdO Continues to give hope amidst COVID-19 Vaccine Crisis

Were you able to snoop on news reports about people refusing to take vaccines back then? Have you witnessed how different parties propagandized the types of vaccines we are going to get? Many people refused the invitation to be vaccinated. Many were skeptical due to a lack of information and inconsistency in the data provided. As a consequence, imagery came to emerge, depicting how this pandemic instilled fear and separation in the minds of the people all over the world. With much of that, the pandemic has successfully dripped rust in our global production. The COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be the candles of hope that will light up people’s lives as we are dwelling in one of our darkest isolations. On the other side, there have been production delays, and people across the globe are eager to have their vaccines. Many are crippling and sneaking around corners like a culprit of an unsolicited drug. Hence, this signifies how they are willing to get immunized by securing themselves from the spikes of the virus.

QR Code System: A step in scanning Vaccine Priorities

In the golden land of Cagayan de Oro City, Mayor Oscar Moreno directed all of his constituents, both private and public, to register themselves for them to track and expand the coverage of their newly developed QR code. To add value, a total of 177,827 registrants utilize the site’s function which is to identify each registered individual, prioritizing the vaccination rollout program.

Moreno believes that this instrument will provide them with the direction they need to ensure an efficient and effective distribution system as they administer the vaccines. Furthermore, the tracking system helps the city government in properly allocating the vaccines, since they have set aside an incredible amount ranging from Php 300 to Php 500 million for the COVID-19 vaccination program. However, there must be a specific population for them to determine how much to acquire as they are aware of the national and global traffic in vaccine distribution.

Early Herd Immunity: City Vaccination has kicked off

The simulation of the vaccine drill began on February 16, 2021, at JR Borja hospital, according to Dr. Lorraine Nery, the City’s Health Officer. Before the program, Dr. Nery met with the representatives from the city’s private and public hospitals in the City Council session hall to finalize details, since this would demonstrate how the vaccination process would be done. Moreover, the drill for vaccination was supposed to be a community simulation, but the Department of Health (DOH-10) advised that it would be better if it was held in a hospital to prioritize the target recipients, who are health care workers. At the said meeting attended by the nurses and their supervisors, they were asked if they were willing to get vaccinated. Without any pinch of doubt, none of them showed disinterest, as not one had raised their hands. Hence, it showed that all of them are willing to serve and be the front-runners among others’ lanes.

Plucking Feathers of Concern

As Cagayan de Oro City’s Health Office (CHO) is torn between vaccines that are available in the market, they insisted on conducting an online survey to gather public opinion on the vaccines that will be administered in their locality. Nonetheless, administrators are crossing their fingers, hoping that the results will shed light on the said program. While the public outcry amplified over the slow vaccine rollout, so did the acceptance of vaccination delays. “I encourage more health care workers, more doctors, to join us in the fight against Covid-19. The sooner we do this, the more of us who will do this, the sooner the fight will be won,” said Llacuna. Moreno, on the other hand, urged patience and faith, stating that Kagay-anons should not waiver on the delayed system. Despite the numerous concerns, Dr. Nery wanted to ensure that about 70-85 percent of the city’s population, or half a million people, are vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. In addition, the logistics team observed a lack of manpower during the simulation activity, which would take place at the 15 designated vaccination sites. Despite these reservations, Moreno reiterated that the local government is committed to vaccinate 1,000-1,500 residents daily. Nonetheless, he is optimistic that positive changes in achieving herd immunity are just around the corner.

As COVID-19 vaccine supplies ran out, the city halted vaccinations for healthcare workers. Despite this, the city was able to distribute vaccines, with CoronaVac and AstraZeneca doses being given to 5,683 of the city’s 9,436 frontline health workers. Resulting from this would be the gradual progress of vesting our front liners the armor against the virus’ spikes. Therefore, they can be a consistent valor of aid towards their fellow Kagay-anons, which may result in progressive unclothing of distrust and shadowed hopes. This may then be the start of counting ripples as the city of Cagayan de Oro is in the race of providing its citizens the proper jab against the COVID-19 virus. According to Moreno, the vaccination rollout continues to bring hope as the Local Government Unit (LGU) is expecting over 60,000 doses of Sinovac and 10,000 doses of AstraZeneca soon this month of August. These doses are expected to add up to the total number of jabs administered by the LGU listing a total of 95,512 for the 1st dose and 46,639 for the 2nd dose, gathering a total of 142,151 jabs administered as of August 1, 2021. Now, the vaccination is already catering to the A4 category in which it includes frontline individuals in essential sectors, like uniformed personnel, for their 1st dose of vaccine. Will these jabs be enough to ease a future surge? Or will the vaccine hesitancy cripple the aimed herd immunity?

Sources: https://bit.ly/3AeYxeT https://bit.ly/37lyxlC https://bit.ly/3rU9BuS