Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia has ordered the Emergency Operations Center (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 city government’s target of giving anti-COVID jabs to as many residents.

This graveyard shift vaccination drive is set to start within the week and according to City Administrator Em Ang, the onsite vaccination of the various call center employees and personnel will start at 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.

“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 in an interview during his visit to the SMX Convention Center on Monday.

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

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, added.

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, August 15, at 5th Level Parking Area of the Ayala Malls Capitol Central.

The city has so far inoculated a total of 180,045 residents, 79,656 of whom have been fully vaccinated as of August 15./WDJ