Vax supply ‘limited’ ahead of Dec. 31 deadline

WITH less than a month and a half to go before the nationwide vaccination program ends, City Hall now has a limited vaccine supply to administer to those who still have to secure their shots, a top health official said.

“The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed in an advisory sent to all their local offices that the nationwide vaccination program will end on Dec. 31, 2022, and we still don’t have word on what vaccines we will receive or if these will be donated or we have to buy the vaccines. So we appeal to the unvaccinated or partly vaccinated to get their free shots now,” said City Health Office (CHO) immunization program coordinator Dr. Ina Grace Chiu.

During Monday morning’s Covid-19 response press briefing Dr. Chiu said that based on their vaccination data, about 82,890 Kagay-anons have been vaccinated since the start of Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy’s administration.

“This covers all age groups including primary dose (first two doses) and booster dose (third and fourth dose) recipients,” she said.

Dr. Chiu said about 173,721 city residents secured their third dose or first booster dose while 25,064 received their fourth dose or second booster as of Nov. 12, 2022.

“So admittedly, there are still a lot more people who need to complete their vaccine shots to secure protection from Covid-19,” Dr. Chiu said. The city also has one remaining mega vaccination site in Limketkai Mall, she said.

Cagayan de Oro City’s population stands at over 700,000 based on its 2020 census. Of that number about 627,003 received their first dose while 592,833 received their second dose since the launch of the nationwide vaccination program last March 2021, Dr. Chiu said.

“As time passes, the effect of the primary doses is reduced or worse, already gone. So we ask again the public to get their boosters now,” she said.

For his part, CHO epidemiologist Dr. Teodulfo Joselito Retuya Jr said more children aged five years old and older especially since there is a spike in Covid-19 cases in recent days.

“We are concerned about this spike due to the increased movement of people. While there are others who need to secure their shots, the public should still comply with minimum health protocols,” he said. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)