The Bacolod City Cold Chain Facility received 400 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from Gokongwei Foundation Nov. 10, and Em Legaspi-Ang, executive director of the Emergency Operations Center-Task Force, said the city is heartened by such support.
The support coming from the private sector, like the Gokongwei Group, for Bacolod’s vaccination campaign “has inspired us to work harder to fast track our goal to achieve herd immunity,” Ang added.
Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia thanked the Foundation for its support to the local government’s vaccination drive.
“This simply highlights the fact that public-private partnership is very much alive in our country. It is a very laudable gesture that private business contributes to our people’s well-being in this most trying time,” he added.
Ang said the success of the vaccination efforts of the city would not be possible without the help and support of the whole community.
The EOC continued its vaccination Nov. 12 at Ayala Malls Capitol Central, CityMall Goldenfields, CityMall Mandalagan, Gaisano City, Robinsons Place, SM City, and Jollibee East, a press release from the city said.
Ang said that this weekend, Bacolod will have vaccination operations also at SM City, Ayala Malls, and Jollibee East, which operates 24 hours. As of Nov. 9, the city said 84 percent of Bacolodnons have already received their first dose of the COVID vaccine.
The city also rolled out the Sputnik V vaccine Nov. 10, at the Ayala Malls vaccination site, and Ang said the supply came from the national government.
Dr. Edwin Miraflor Jr., officer-in-charge of the City Health Office, and Dr. Chris Sorongon, EOC deputy for medical, data analysis, and management, administered the vaccines to recipients, who lined up early to avail of the jabs.
The national government delivered 10,000 doses of the Sputnik V from Russia’s Gamaleya Institute to Bacolod City, Leonardia said.
Only local government units that meet the storage and handling requirements for Sputnik V vaccines, which is negative 18 degrees Celsius, were given the vaccines, Ang explained.
Sputnik V is the world’s first registered vaccine, based on a well-studied human adenovirus vector platform. It is a non-replicating viral vector vaccine 2-dose regimen given 21-42 days apart.
Sputnik V has been granted Emergency Use Authorization by the Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration on March 19, 2021. | NND
