8PM to 4AM vaccination for BPO workers to start this week in Bacolod

The Bacolod City Covid Vaccination Council reported that the local government has so far inoculated a total of 180,045 residents, 79,656 of whom have been fully vaccinated as of Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021.

This was disclosed by Mayor Evelio Leonardia, chair of the Emergency Operations Center, as he ordered the EOC, through its executive director and City Administrator Em Legaspi Ang and the medical team, to implement a vaccination program for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) employees, who are on graveyard shift to fast track the LGU’s target of giving anti-Covid jabs to as many residents.

The graveyard shift vaccination drive of EOC is set to start within the week and according to City Adminstrator Em Ang, the onsite vaccination of the various call center employees and personnel will start at 8:00 PM to 4:00 AM.

“I know how important is our BPO industry to the economic life of the city that is why we are planning to target evening and graveyard shift call center agents”, Leonardia said

He noted that the hands of BPO personnel are tied to their jobs that is why the city government will come to them.

“We saw their enthusiasm to get vaccinated so we will go out of our way to serve those working the night shift in different BPO firms,” the mayor added..

Regular call center agents cannot make it to the scheduled vaccination as they have to leave work while the graveyard shift agents would rather rest once they are home early in the morning”, Ang, concurrent COVaC coordinator noted.

Presently, the city is implementing VAX-I (mobile vaccination clinic) that targets to inoculate workers, like vendors and public transport drivers, who are unable to leave work for a day to go to the vaccination centers; and “Drive Thru” vaccination that started Sunday, Aug. 15, at 5th Level Parking Area of the Ayala Malls Capitol Central.

Leonardia said this is yet another part of his administration’s commitment to inoculate as many Bacolodnons as possible.

“Our goal is to make the vaccination program more accessible to everyone so we can achieve herd immunity and eradicate COVID-19 as fast as possible,” Leonardia said.

“We are happy that our VAX-I program was widely accepted by our vendors. We thought there will be resistance or the people will be unaware of it but the people were open to the vaccines and we were able to inoculate more than 400 vendors in one day,” he added.*