The city’s vaccination roll-out has been going as planned with 6,020 of the 9,053 frontline health workers having been inoculated with the first dose of the anti-Covid-19 vaccine as of March 21.
City Health Officer Rowena Galpo, during the management committee meeting said the number represents 66.50 percent total coverage rate of the city’s priority A1 eligible population, the highest in the Cordillera.
Galpo said the remaining 3,045 health workers from private clinics, diagnostic centers and barangay health emergency response teams will receive their jabs in the coming days.
On the allocation and use of vaccines, she said 4,101 of the 4,405 CoronaVac doses the city received has been used as of March 21 while 1,919 of the 4,930 AstraZeneca vaccines have been jabbed on eligible individuals.
Under the city’s Covid-19 prioritization framework, workers from frontline health services are priority A1 followed by all senior citizens (A2); persons with comorbidities (A3); frontline personnel in essential sectors including uniformed personnel (A4); and indigent population at priority A5.
Teachers and social workers are priority B1; other government workers (B2), other essential workers (B3), socio-demographic groups at significantly higher risk other than senior citizens and the poor (B4), overseas Filipino workers (B5), other remaining workforce (B6), and rest of the Filipino population at priority C.
With an estimated population of 378,532, Galpo said Baguio’s eligible population for vaccination, those 18 years old and above, is 238,494.
Galpo said with a target herd immunity of 80 percent of the eligible population, this would tally to 190,796. With each patient needing two doses, the number of vaccines needed is 381,592.
“The current Covid-19 vaccines reduce the risk of severe disease and death and are most suited for those with higher risk of exposure and death. The benefits of being vaccinated far outweigh the risks of adverse effects, if any,” she said.
The vaccination sites in the city are Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, SLU Hospital of the Sacred Heart, Baguio Medical Center, Pines City Doctors Hospital, Notre Dame de Chartres Hospital, and Philippine Military Academy Station Hospital.
The city’s field vaccination sites are the University of Baguio and SLU gymnasiums, Baguio City National High School, and St. Louis Center (Campo Filipino). – Gaby B. Keith
April 20, 2024
