Tourism workers wait in queues as vaccination drive ends
VACCINATION DRIVE AT BCC. The 3-day Vaccination Drive conducted at the Cordillera Convention Hall of Baguio Country Club for tourism workers culminates on Baguio Day with a total of 4,816 recipients inoculated for the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine Astra Zeneca. The activity is in partnership with the Department of Tourism-Cordillera Administrative Region (DOT-CAR) and the Baguio Tourism Council (BTC). (Photos courtesy of Herminia S. del Rosario)/Merriam del Rosario, FNS
BAGUIO CITY – More than a thousand individuals were in the queue waiting for their turn to be inoculated with their first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine Astra Zeneca at the Baguio Country Club (BCC) on Baguio Day, September 1, 2021, during the culmination of the 3-day Vaccination Drive conducted by the city government for tourism workers.
The activity was in partnership with the Department of Tourism-Cordillera Administrative Region (DOT-CAR) and the Baguio Tourism Council (BTC) and was intended for workers from the different tourism-related establishments in Baguio City.
At around seven o’clock in the morning on Wednesday, a long queue has already accumulated at Gate 2 of BCC, while those with stubs were directed to proceed to the Cordillera Convention Hall (formerly the Multi-purpose Hall) of BCC, but the venue was already full, extending to the veranda until the underground parking lot.
A female resident of Saint Joseph Village barangay who preferred to keep her identity said, “We had our names listed earlier and we got here a little past 7 am but we could only join the rest at the parking lot because it was where the end of the line was”.
It took the workers around four hours to finally get to the inoculation area and be vaccinated, which included accomplishing health declaration forms, pulse rate and oxygen level check, registration and blood pressure check, logbook signing, and post-vaccine interview.
“Pasado alas-onse na kami nabakunahan,” the female resident said. (It was already past eleven o’clock when we were inoculated)
Data from the BTC disclosed that 1,658 recipients were inoculated that day and a total of 4,816 recipients for the whole duration of the three-day vaccination drive.
The activity was witnessed by DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat along with other Philippine dignitaries, Baguio City officials, and BTC Chair Gladys Vergara-De Vera.
As of Friday, September 3, Baguio City has given a total of 150,115 first doses equivalent to 53.42 percent of the eligible population of 281,000.//Merriam del Rosario-FNS
