The inoculation drive of Zamboanga del Sur province got another boost as a shipment of 1,200 vials of Moderna vaccine arrived Friday morning at the Pagadian City Airport.
The vaccines from the Department of Health (DOH) central office were picked up by the provincial and regional health personnel together with Board Member Jenifer Mariano, the representative of Zamboanga del Sur Gov. Victor Yu.
The arrival of the Moderna vaccines was in time for the province’s 69th founding anniversary celebration on Friday, which emphasizes the importance of vaccination in line with the celebration’s theme: “Sa Paglipad ng Zamboanga del Sur, Bida ang Bakunadong Zambosurians.”
Each Moderna vial contains 10 doses, according to DOH regional director Dr. Joshua Brillantes.
The province received 10,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine on Sept. 16 also from the national government.
Yu, in a statement, said the vaccines will help address the surge in infections being experienced by the province.
He encouraged residents, including those who missed their second dose even in another province or country, to submit themselves for vaccination, which is being held at the provincial covered court.
Zamboanga del Sur has 2,779 active cases, the highest compared to the other areas in the region based on the latest data of the Department of Health-9.
The DOH-9 data showed the province has 9,187 total confirmed cases with 6,139 recoveries and 269 deaths as of Sept. 13. (PNA) -rir