The Zamboanga Integrated Bus Terminal has been turned into a COVID-19 vaccination site since Saturday, 13 November 2021. MindaNews photo courtesy of Rafael Derick Evangelista
ZAMBOANGA CITY(MindaNews / 15 Nov) —The Integrated Bus Terminal (IBT) here has been utilized as a COVID-19 inoculation site since Saturday, November 13.
Dr. Dulce Miravite, city health officer, said that apart from the IBT, the other public vaccination sites in the city include two fast-food stores, two malls and a few community health centers.
In an interview, Rafael Derrick Evangelista, supervising transportation regulation officer, said that there were no scheduled trips in the last two days because the city was still strictly implementing the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) for COVID-19.
Evangelista said the terminal was chosen as a COVID-19 vaccination site because of its seating capacity and its spacious exteriors that can accommodate a long line of people.
It has a seating capacity of at least 100 but was reduced in compliance with the physical distancing requirement.
As of Saturday evening, 942 walk-in clients availed of the COVID-19 vaccines at the IBT, the City Health Office (CHO) reported.
“Per CHO records, 354 were vaccinated with Pfizer, mostly received by teens, some adults and senior citizens, and 516 were jabbed with AstraZeneca,” Evangelista said.
The fully air-conditioned IBT, whose facilities include an automated teller machine by the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and a kiosk by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), resumed its transport service operations Monday, November 15, even as the COVID-19 vaccination by CHO personnel continued.
Dr. Elmeir Jade Apolinario, Zamboanga City Inter-Agency Task Force chief implementer, said in another phone interview that the bus terminal was chosen as a vaccination site because it can accommodate a big crowd and can cater to walk-in clients from nearby areas.
Apolinario also stated that the terminal is accessible to public transport and has ample parking space for private vehicles.
As of November 13, the confirmed COVID-19 cases in the city stood at 21,742, with 19,826 recoveries, 912 active cases and 1,094 deaths, local government data showed. (Frencie Carreon / MindaNews)
