BY ADRIAN P. NEMES III
“We will not be able to cater to walk-ins anymore,” executive director Em Ang of the Emergency Operations Center, said yesterday after residents flocked to various vaccination centers in Bacolod that resulted in overcrowding.
Ang said the Covid-19 Vaccination Council noted that by 12 noon yesterday, the vaccination centers at Ayala Malls Capitol Central, Robinsons Place, and SMX Convention Center had reached their maximum number of vaccinees for the day.
EOC’s quota at the Ayala Malls was 1,000 residents, 500 at the Robinsons mall and 500 at the SMX Convention Center, too.
But Ang said at least 1,200 residents were vaccinated at the SMX Convention Center alone yesterday, that is already beyond the maximum number they have allotted.
At the Ayala Mall, tension filled the vaccination site after the residents complained of long queues.
One of the residents, who waited for her turn to be vaccinated at the Ayala Mall, told the DAILY STAR that they had lined up as early as 8 a.m. before the mall opened. Some of them were already sitting on the floor and had been waiting for hours, to no avail.
Policemen were already deployed at the Ayala Mall to help manage the crowd and ensure that health protocols are observed.
Ang said that to avoid similar scenarios, the public is urged to wait to be notified of their schedule thru text by the Vaccination Team, or may be inoculated at their barangays.
Earlier, the EOC announced that the vaccination roll-outs for the single dose Johnson and Johnson’s jabs are allowed at the malls but the priority groups are the health care workers, front liners, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities and indigent population.
The EOC is negotiating with two other malls for the possibility of using their facilities as additional vaccination centers.
Vaccination centers in barangays 39, Alangilan, Bata, Singcang-Airport, Sum-ag, Taculing, Alijis, Granada, Pahanocoy, Taculing, Vista Alegre and Villamonte were opened on appointment basis yesterday, as well as at the Andres Bonifacio Elementary School, while walk-ins were allowed at the vaccination center in Brgy. Mansilingan.*
