Amid supply concerns, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte assured residents who had received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose that they would get their second jab, as scheduled.

Belmonte gave the assurance in a press briefing on Thursday, April 15, after the city government announced that the online booking for a vaccine schedule in the city is already full and that current supplies would only last until Saturday, April 17.

“Iyong mga nag-Sinovac ay nakareserba na ang kanilang second dose, kaya hindi po nila kailangang mag-alala (The second doses of those who received the first Sinovac dose have been reserved, so they have nothing to worry about),” the mayor said.

“Iyong mga nag-AstraZeneca naman, siguradong parating na ang kanilang second dose. Iyan po ang assurance sa atin ng DOH (For those who received Astrazeneca, their second dose is surely on its way. That’s the assurance that the Department of Health has given us),” Belmonte added.

The DOH said on April 9 that it received assurance from the World Health Organization that additional AstraZeneca doses supplied by vaccine sharing alliance COVAX facility will arrive by end-April.

As of April 14, 106,395 Quezon City residents have received their first vaccine dose. Of this number, 5,363 have received a second dose.

The city government said those scheduled to receive a second jab will be notified through text message or email.

“Only a few people are scheduled for a second dose next week, and inoculations will take place in only one site,” QC public information chief Engelbert Apostol said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Online registration on hold

During the press briefing, Quezon City vaccination task force co-chair Joseph Juico said the city had to put its online registration on hold as they did not have vaccine supply for dates after April 17.

“For the current supply that we have, for those pre-registered online, [vaccination is] only until Saturday, because it’s very hard for us to open more slots and for them to choose a date and place if we no longer have vaccines to administer,” Juico said.

Juico said the city is set to receive 13,000 additional Sinovac vaccine doses from the national government, but this would be good for a day’s worth of vaccination or for 6,500 people. He said the city government is asking for additional allocation.

This supply is from the 500,000 vaccine doses that the Philippines received on April 11.

As of April 15, the city’s online vaccine registration portal has received 332,851 applications. Of this number, 229,885 people have approved COVID-19 Electronic Immunization Registration (CEIR).

Juico said that once the city government receives more vaccine doses, those with approved CEIR can start booking for a vaccination slot.

Quezon City, as of Wednesday, is grappling with 9,181 active COVID-19 cases, according to its LGU data. Some 37 identified areas in different barangays are placed under special lockdown. – Rappler.com