Lack of supply halts COVID-19 vaccination some Laguna areas

Vaccination against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been temporarily suspended in some cities in Laguna province due to lack of supply.

In Sta. Rosa City, Laguna, vaccination was stopped two weeks ago due to no new allocation coming.

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According to Sta. Rosa Mayor Arlene Arcillas, only those in the A1 category or healthcare workers were vaccinated for the first dose.

Some 2,000 doses arrived but it was said to be for the second dose.

According to Arcillas, there are still many who want to get vaccinated but the problem is that they are short of supply, apart from the fact that it is not yet certain when the vaccines ordered by the local government will arrive.

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“Pasensiya na po. This is beyond my control na po unlike the ayuda na sabihin ko lang na we dsitribute sa lahat. Alam niyo naman po ginawa na natin ang lahat, we ordered already, we allotted budget already, nagbayad na rin tayo ng 20 percent sa [AstraZeneca], 300,000 in-order pero wala pa po dumadating doon,” said Arcillas.

Lack of supply halts COVID-19 vaccination some Laguna areas

Meanwhile, there is also no vaccination taking place in Calamba. According to mayor Timmy Chipeco, there is also a shortage of their vaccine supply for the first twelve.

The only vaccine available in the city now is 4,000 doses for the second dose.

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“Ino-audit muna namin ngayon kasi medyo very, very low na rin ang suplay namin ng vaccine doon sa first dose pero ‘yung sa second dose naka-ready na naman, we might start by first week of May,” said Chipeco.

About 5,000 people have been vaccinated in Calamba City, Laguna but many more want to be vaccinated, so Chipeco called for the supply to be expedited.

“We have to push a little bit harder sa suplay, try to negotiate it more, alam ko it’s a seller-driven problem. It’s a supplier problem hindi naman demand na eh, so hindi naman mapipilitan ng gobyerno ang ibang gobyerno so siguro they just have to work it out really para magkaroon tayo ng enough allocation para maging tuloy-tuloy lang,” said Chipeco.

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