Tumbas Manipis
Tumbas Manipis

Vaccine situation in Quezon

May 19, 2021, 12:39 AM
John A. Bello

John A. Bello

Writer/Columnist

It’s hard enough to dig up information related to the Covid-19 situation in any parts of the world and the independent media can only rely on the data from official sources. Media practitioners cannot just sniff around and barge into like they used to before the pandemic. Now the newsmen, like during any emergency situations, are at the mercy on their sources and like the rest of the population, are hampered by fears and worries for their health and safety.

It is almost intimidating to see, much more, approach the various offices, private or public, like they are in total siege, and there seems a protective shield around their vicinities - plastered with plastic covering on their front entrances and windows - to ward off any messenger of the Corona virus from the outside. Some offices have only the skeleton force while most of their personnel are on work from home mode


A phalanx of regulations related to health protocols confronts anyone wherever he/she goes the better to keep safe from the worrisome possibility of virus infection.


Anyways, let me go into the matter about particularly the Covid-19 vaccine situation in Quezon province. Quezon Integrated Provincial Health Officer Dra. Grace Santiago shared with me the latest Covid-19 vaccination rollout in the province one early Saturday morning that I am having my favorite and addictive black liquid poison – coffee, what else? – and I am at a loss for a topic to write about for my Tumbas Manipis column in Opinyon Quezonin. She is no FB friend of mine but through Quezon Public Information Officer Janet Buelo I was able to track her down in Messenger and to pitch my query, naks, about - what else? - the Covid-19 vaccination rollout in the province.


I have seen Dra. Grace already a number of times from a distance like during the sessions of the Sangguniang Panglalawigan, in some committee meetings, and she appeared to me as some smart, articulate and no-nonsense character that you don’t want to meet and mess with in any ordinary day of your life without the fatal risk to your health and safety. (Just kidding).


Anyway, let’s get down to the brass tacks, without further ado, without mercy.



As of May 13, 2021 the total vaccinated persons in Quezon province, according to Dra. Santiago, is 26,736 broken down into the following:


First dose – 24,081


A1 (medical frontliners) – 16,676; A2 (senior citizens) – 5,136; A3 (persons with co-morbidities or ailments) – 2,034; A4 – 111; A5 – 2; B – 122. (Sorry, I have forgotten at the moment, about A4, A5, much less about B.)


Second Dose – 2,655


A1 – 2,570; A2 – 3; and A3 - 82


Asked on the total number of Covid-19 vaccines that Quezon province has gotten from the Department of Health, Santiago said: “Unfortunately, we do not have the complete data on how many vaccines did the province receive. Kasi diretso delivered sa munisipyo at private hospitals.”


She added that the anti-Covid-19 vaccines so far that have reached the province are Sinovac (17,363 doses) and Astrazeneca (9,373 doses). There are no other kinds of Covid vaccines, like the claim of the arrival kuno in the province of the Sputnik V vaccine from Russia with love. No, there is no such happening yet.


This vaccine information stands out against the total number of Covid-19 confirmed cases in the province which as of 5pm of May 14, according to Ms. Janet Buelo, head honcho of the Public Information Office, has reached 11,648 in which there are 10,100 recovered cases and 450 deaths. Compared however to the other provinces in Calabarzon region, Quezon has much lower Covid-19 cases and deaths which made it to be excluded in the so-called National Capital Region bubble, thus a more lax quarantine level for the Quezonins.


The vaccine information from Dra. Santiago also stands out against the backdrop of what had happened over a week ago to Gov. Danilo Suarez, his wifey, 3rd Dist. Rep. Aleta Suarez, and to the Provincial Agriculturist Office chief Roberto Gajo when they were positively infected by the Corona virus.


On May 6, a Pabatid bulletin was posted in which the 76-year-old governor said he got positive with Covid-19. A few days later his wife, said the same, followed suit by Gajo. All three of them reminded those who have close contacts with them in the past few days to undergo self-quarantine and observe or have some check-up if they got the symptoms of the disease.


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