Davao, Cebu hospitals to also get first Pfizer shots, says DOH

MANILA, Philippines — Some designated hospitals in Davao and Cebu province are expected to receive the first batch of vaccines from the American drugmaker Pfizer, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday.

“That’s right, it’s not just those four hospitals that we are going to provide these vaccines with. We are going to provide other DOH-designated hospitals for [Covid-19] and that would include specific hospitals in Cebu and Davao,” said Health Undersecretary and Spokesman Maria Rosario Vergeire over CNN Philippines when asked about additional hospitals that would receive 117,000 initial Pfizer vaccine doses.

Vergeire earlier said five big private and public hospitals in Metro Manila will receive the Pfizer shots.

In another press briefing at the Muntinlupa City, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III disclosed that the first batch of the vaccines will also be transported to Southern Philippines Medical Center in Bajada, Davao City, and Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, a tertiary medical center in Cebu.

“Pupunta ang mga bakuna sa Cebu City at Davao City. Iu-unload iyan, idadala sa Vicente Sotto [Memorial Medical Center] at Southern Philippines Medical Center at doon ilo-load [ang vaccines] at ihahanda ang vaccination ng ating health care workers,” Duque said after the vaccine simulation exercise for arrival of Pfizer shots.

(Vaccines will reach Cebu and Davao, it will be unloaded and transferred to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center and Southern Philippines Medical Center where they will load it there and prepare the vaccination of our health care workers.)

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. disclosed last week that they will vaccinate first the health workers in four COVID-19 referral hospitals, namely, Philippine General Hospital in Manila, Lung Center of the Philippines and East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City, and Dr. Jose Natalio Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center (Tala Hospital) in Caloocan City.

According to the DOH website, there are two DOH-accredited hospitals in Davao — the Davao Regional Medical Center, and Southern Philippines Medical Center.

Meanwhile, Cebu has four DOH hospitals, namely, Eversley Childs Sanitarium, St. Anthony Mother and Child Hospital, Talisay District Hospital and Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

On Monday, the government announced that the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines are expected next week as it readies mass inoculation against the severe respiratory disease.

EDV