Mayor Evelio Leonardia has expressed optimism over the increasing number of city residents availing of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine since the first week of March.

“Public confidence in the vaccine is getting stronger as evidenced by the increase in the number of people who have already been inoculated,” he said in statement as the city government resumed the rollout in the barangays this week.

On Tuesday, vaccination sites were opened in five more villages, including Alangilan, Banago, Mansilingan, Montevista, and Pahanocoy, as part of the 26 hubs set up in identified barangays and clustered areas from June 14 to 23.

The number of doses that will be administered during the 10-day mass vaccination until Wednesday next week will be added to the 42,173 doses availed by vaccinees from March 5 to June 11, based on the data released by the Emergency Operations Center Task Force on Monday.

Aside from the vaccination rollout in the barangays, inoculation activities at SMX Convention Center in SM City Bacolod and Ayala Malls Capitol Central are ongoing daily from Mondays to Fridays.

For now, the vaccination rollout in Bacolod covers residents belonging to the A1 to A3 priority groups, which include front-line health care workers, senior citizens, and adults with comorbidities, respectively.

Some 11,493 Bacolodnons were inoculated in the first barangay mass vaccination rollout held from May 14 to 21.

This week, the vaccines being rolled out are part of the 17,000 additional doses of Sinovac’s CoronaVac jabs received by the city government from the national government on June 5 and 8.

Dr. Edwin Miraflor Jr., officer-in-charge of the City Health Office, said the 17,000 Sinovac doses will be used to inoculate 8,500 vaccinees, who are receiving the first and second doses.

The 42,173 doses administered as of June 11 included 21,885 doses of AstraZeneca and 20,288 vials of Sinovac jabs. (PNA)