BACOLOD City – “Herd immunity” by December this year. This is the target of the city government as it ramps up its coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination rollout.
With the day-and-night vaccination here, the city government is plugging all holes to achieve the target, according to City Administrator Em Ang, also the executive director of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) here.
“Herd immunity”, also known as “population immunity”, according to the World Health Organization, is the indirect protection from an infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection.
As of Friday last week, the city had inoculated 22 percent of its target population.
Bacolod will start its night-time public vaccination drive today at the second floor of the Jollibee branch along the city’s Gatuslao-Burgos streets at 8 p.m.
COVID-19 jabs will be administered by the medical team of the EOC-Task Force and the City Health Office to qualified and pre-registered residents.
The city government will also launch today its third mobile vaccination unit (Vax-i bus).
After today’s launch, the EOC-TF will resume its regular operations for night-time vaccination on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays to cover as many Bacolod residents, Ang said.
“The 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. schedule, another first by Bacolod City, is an aggressive and innovative approach to keep local communities safe, as the LGU (local government unit) continues to experience a decline in COVID infections during the month of August,” Ang said.
It also complements, she added, the continued daily schedules in 27 vaccination sites, the jabs given at different malls, on-site drive at Business Process Outsourcing companies, the drive-thru campaign at Ayala Malls Capitol Central and the mobile Vax-i targeting market vendors and public utility drivers since mid-August./PN
