BACOLOD City – This city received on Tuesday an initial 14,980 doses of Moderna vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from the national government.
According to Dr. Chris Sorongon, deputy for medical data and analysis of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) here, the Moderna vaccines will be rolled-out to priority group A5 (indigent population), particularly beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) on Aug. 16.
Moderna is the fifth vaccine brand received by the city government for its vaccination program, following Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson jab.
The Moderna vaccine is a messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine. It was found by the World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization to have an efficacy of 94.1 percent.
On the other hand, City administrator Em Ang, executive director of EOC, said aside from the Moderna shots, the city also received an additional 10,000 vials of Sinovac vaccines on the same day.
Since March 5, Bacolod has received about 254,860 doses of various vaccines, Ang said.
Meanwhile, the EOC-Task Force also lauded security and safety officers for effectively managing huge crowds of vaccinees flocking mall-based vaccination sites here.
Among the crowd-control measures being implemented at vaccination sites was setting up priority lanes for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
These priority lanes, according to Ang, have significantly helped in ensuring a smooth and fast-paced vaccine rollout.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia, on the other hand, said it is heartening as more and more Bacolodnons are now willing to be inoculated against the viral disease./PN
