NEW VAX SITE. Health workers interview two A4 category or essential workers before their inoculation against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) on Tuesday (Aug. 3, 2021) at the newly-opened mega vaccination site inside KCC Veranza Mall in General Santos City. It is the second mall-based mega vaccination center opened by the local government.(Photo courtesy of the city government)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The city government opened on Tuesday another mega vaccination site for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in a shopping mall here.
Karl Queipo, head of the city’s vaccine operations cluster, said the move is in line with the local government’s efforts to expand and fast-track the inoculation of eligible residents in the city’s 26 barangays.
He said the vaccination site at the KCC Veranza Mall will initially cater to individuals under priority group A4 comprising essential workers.
The target workers for the initial batch are those from the city fish port complex, canneries, fishing companies, banks, and utility companies, he said.
“We are targeting (to cater) 700 to 1000 clients per day,” Queipo said in a statement.
The city government opened two weeks ago a mega vaccination center at the Robinsons Mall for individuals under priority groups A1.8 (outbound seafarers and other overseas workers), A2 (senior citizens), and A3 (persons with comorbidities).
It also set up a vaccination site at the city fish port complex in Barangay Tambler for the inoculation of some 2,500 workers but the remaining recipients will now be accommodated at the Veranza Mall.
Queipo said the vaccination center at Robinsons Mall continues to cater to over 1,000 individuals daily who have confirmed schedules based on the Trace and Protect Action Team or Tapat online registration system.
He advised eligible residents to sign up for vaccination through the Tapat system and wait for confirmation so they can be included in the daily schedule.
The official said the recipients are based on the system’s registration data and the vaccination sites do not cater to walk-ins.
Data released on Monday by the City Health Office (CHO) showed that a total of 66,707 residents have been inoculated against Covid-19, comprising 40,844 for the first dose and 25,863 for the second dose or those fully vaccinated.
Some 11,091 individuals under priority group A1 (front-line health care workers) received their first dose, 11,430 for A2, and 9,876 for A3. For the second dose, inoculated were 10,734 under A1, 6,372 under A2, and 8,757 under A3.
The vaccines used were Sinovac’s CoronaVac, AstraZeneca, Russia’s Sputnik V, and Johnson&Johnson’s Janssen.
For the A4 priority group, some 1,353 KCC Mall workers were inoculated with the CoronaVac vaccine purchased by the company while 1,526 others also received the CoronaVac delivered by the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc.
A total of 5,568 other workers were vaccinated with CoronaVac provided by the national government. (PNA)
