BY ADRIAN P. NEMES III
Vaccination centers in 21 barangays and at Robinsons Place Bacolod were being set-up starting yesterday to hasten the inoculation rollout against the Covid-19, Councilor Renecito Novero said.
Novero, who is a member of the Bacolod Vaccination Council, said they are set to inspect Robinsons Mall to ensure its readiness for facilitating the vaccination rollout.
It will be the third mall to open a vaccination center, after Ayala Capitol Central and SM City.
As of yesterday, vaccination centers in barangays Villamonte, Mansilingan, Alijis, Punta Taytay, Mandalagan, and 39 and at the Andres Bonifacio Elementary School had been established.
With the opening of the barangay and clustered barangay vaccination centers, nine vaccination centers started accommodating Bacolodnons yesterday and the vaccination centers at SM City Bacolod and at Ayala Malls Capitol Central continue to operate.
The vaccination center at SM has been operating since May 3, while that in Ayala Malls started on May 8.
MORE VACCINATION CENTERS
Next week, vaccination centers in barangays Montevista, Handumanan, Vista Alegre, Felisa, Estefania, Alangilan, Bata, Banago, Granada, Singcang-Airport, and Taculing and in areas under the ETCS Cluster, Barangay 38 Cluster, and Barangay Pahanocoy Cluster will also be put up.
The vaccines used yesterday and for next week are part of the 19,420 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine allocated by the national government for Bacolod City that arrived early this week.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia said the city government targets to inoculate as many Bacolodnons as possible.
He said that while the city’s vaccine supply is dependent on the allocation from the national government, they will try to vaccinate as fast as possible subject to the availability of the vaccines.
Leonardia added that they are expecting that, by July, when the installments of 650,000 AstraZeneca doses that the city procured start to arrive, they can even accelerate the whole process.
Bacolodnons, who are frontline healthcare workers (A1), senior citizens (A2), and persons with co-morbidities (A3) are currently the priorities in the vaccination rollout.
REGISTRATION NEEDED
Only those who have completed their vaccination registration and have received a call or text from the EOC notifying them of their appointments will be accommodated at the vaccination centers to avoid overcrowding.
Emergency Operations Center deputy for medical, Dr. Chris Sorongon, said the vaccination will start at 8:30 a.m. and will follow similar standard operating procedures observed at SM and Ayala malls.
Leonardia, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, City Administrator Em Ang, and other city officials supervised the start of the vaccination rollout in the different barangays yesterday. To avail of the free vaccination, Bacolodnons should register online through tinyurl.com/bcdceironline, or through the barangays.*
