The City Government of Davao will open the vaccination hub at the People’s Park every Saturday to accommodate Dabawenyos who are only available during weekends.
During the COVID-19 Alert program over the Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR), Davao City COVID-19 Task Force spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser said that they continue to explore new measures to fast-track the achievement of herd immunity in the city.
Opening the vaccination hub at the People’s Park every Saturday is just one of the measures that they are looking to encourage more residents to avail of the free inoculation program of the government.
In September, the local government launched Bakuna Nights, an evening vaccination program, designed to cater to individuals who cannot visit the vaccination sites during the day.
“In fact, dili lang siya Bakuna Nights, naa natay Bakuna on a Saturday. Mao na atong bag-o ron. Mag-open Saturday vaccination hub sa People’s Park para sa mga tao nga dili kaadto ug weekdays (In fact, we do not only have Bakuna Nights, we also have Bakuna on a Saturday. This is our new initiative now. Our vaccination hub in People’s Park is open for people who cannot visit our hubs on weekdays),” Schlosser said.
Schlosser urged those who are available on that day to visit the vaccination hubs and take the opportunity.
For those who have a brand preference, she said, they could now have the opportunity to choose what vaccine they want to be administered to them. It can be recalled that before, health officials advised the public to do away with the vaccine preference and settle with the available vaccine. But with the ample supply of vaccine allocation, they can get what they prefer.
The vaccination hub at the People’s Park is open from Monday to Saturday and will also cater to walk-in clients.
The vaccines that will be administered in this site are Pfizer for first, second 2nd, and missed doses daily (until supplies last); Sinopharm – 1st, 2nd and missed doses daily (until supplies last); and Sinovac – 1st, 2nd and missed doses daily (until supplies last).
For now, the vaccine is only available for walk-in clients 18 years old and above and senior citizens who were not yet immunized. They are advised to bring their DQR, valid ID, and a pen. While for people who will receive their second dose, they are advised to bring their vaccination cards.
Schlosser underscored that all the vaccination sites are now accepting walk-ins, which means an individual can be registered on-site without the need to go through the scheduler.
The health official said that the local government continues to come up with new measures to be able to achieve herd immunity, such as the Sangguniang Panlungsod-led mobile vaccination where vaccination hubs are now available in different barangays. This is to make vaccination more accessible to the public.
She further said that they will soon implement house-to-house vaccination that targets vulnerable individuals including senior citizens and persons with co-morbidities who might be unable to go to the vaccination sites due to health concerns.
They are now coordinating with Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs), a community organization tasked with managing all COVID-related healthcare needs, to identify those individuals that need vaccination.
Meanwhile, as of October 18, the Davao City Vaccination Cluster reported a total of 719,140 fully vaccinated Dabawenyos while 836,662 have already received their second dose.CIO