By Uriel Quilinguing, Contributing Editor HEALTH workers in Northern Mindanao, who are in priority list for Sinovac vaccines but opted either to defer or refuse the inoculations may avail of another brand. Chinese Sinovac vaccines were rolled out Friday last week initially in 15 public and private hospitals in the region for 8,571 frontline health service personnel, but 214 of them turned down the vaccination jabs. Yesterday (March 9), Dr. Ellenietta Gamolo, regional officer in-charge of the Department of Health 10, disclosed that 20,000 doses (2,000 vials) of AstraZeneca vaccines are set arrive at Laguindingan airport today. AstraZeneca vaccines, manufactured by a British drug company, which are in 10 doses per vial, are also for the region’s 16,040 health workers in 74 public and private health facilities. The DOH 10 official said the region’s share of AstraZeneca vaccines can immunize 10,000 Covid-19 frontline workers in hospitals—doctors, nurses, medical technicians, and other hospital personnel. Thursday last week, the DOH 10 received 8,700 doses of Sinovac vaccines, a day before President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s visit in this city to grace a joint meeting of task forces to end local communist armed conflicts. As of Monday (March 8), 85% of the 3,371 doses of Beijing-manufactured CoronaVac vaccines that were delivered to eight hospitals in this city have already been injected to 2,861 hospital employees. Mayor Oscar Moreno reported this in yesterday’s press briefing at city hall, but there were 202 who were listed “deferrals” and 12 “refusals”; 135 of them from the state-ran Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC). Of NMMC’s 1,820 personnel, 1,221 have, so far, received their first dose of CoronaVac which has a 14-day prime-boost interval starting March 5 to 8. Moreno directed Dr. Joselito Retuya, an epidemiologist of the City Health Office, to find out why 435 of the 745 doses of Sinovac vaccines delivered to Camp Evangelista Station Hospital in Patag, this city, have not been utilized, aside from 14 “deferrals” and two “refusals.” As of this writing, the total number of those who have “deferred” and “refused” the inoculation of Sinovac vaccine from other hospitals in the region, as well as from Marawi-based Amai Pakpak Medical Center, is not available. APMC, which is administratively under the DOH 10, got 1,181 doses Sinovac vaccine allocation. Sinovac vaccines are to be administered to persons 18 to 59 years old, hence these should not be injected to 60 years old and beyond. It is not for pregnant, persons with comorbidities, and those with history of severe allergic reaction to any component of the vaccine. Those who had been infected with Covid-19 should defer their vaccination up to six months from the time of infection. AstraZeneca vaccine is recommended for 60 years and older and those with underlying health conditions by the World Health Organizations Both Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines were transported to the country at no cost to the national government; donations from Chinese government and from the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (Covax). Earlier, Gamolo told Mindanao Gold Star Daily the DOH 10 has conducted a vaccine hesitancy survey and would soon release the results and findings. Vaccine hesitancy refers to delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccination despite availability of vaccination services, as briefly defined by WHO’s strategic advisory group of experts on immunization.