The Bacolod City government is intensifying its battle against COVID-19 as it implements its house-to-house vaccination campaign.
“An intensified house-to-house vaccination will pave the way to herd immunity,” Emergency Operations Center-Task Force (EOC-TF) Executive Director Em Ang said in a press release Thursday, April 21.
The initiative is currently focused on seven Bacolod barangays with the highest number of COVID-19 cases, she said.
It is being implemented in close coordination with the village chiefs and their respective Barangay Health and Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs).
The seven priority barangays are Mansilingan, Taculing, Tangub, Estefania, Villamonte, Mandalagan, and Alijis, she said.
The intensified house-to-house vaccination drive involves the city’s VAX-i mobile buses.
Ang said that with the support from barangay officials and residents, the house-to-house vaccination will be a success.
“Let’s help each other. Let’s make house visits and vaccinate not only those who are bedridden, but also other qualified yet unvaccinated residents. This is one strategy that we need to employ,” EOC Deputy for Medical Data Management and Analysis Dr. Chris Sorongon said.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia said the goal of the city is to make the vaccination program more accessible to everyone so that Bacolod can achieve herd immunity and control the COVID-19 spread.
The EOC-TF clarified though that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is not mandatory, as it “has always been voluntary.”
EOC reports show that as of Oct. 16, a total of 213,828 Bacolodnons have already received their vaccine shots. Of the number, 157,825 were fully vaccinated.
After a dialog with the officials and cluster heads of the EOC-TF, barangay officials vowed to strictly monitor patients under home isolation as well as sealed-off homes of close contacts.
They also promised to strengthen the monitoring and enforcement of minimum health protocols, and to intensify information and education campaign on COVID-19 vaccination.*