Widening scope of vaccinations in the works

The CNMI received an additional shipment of COVID-19 vaccines starting yesterday and continuing until Saturday, resulting in the expansion and widening of the current phase of inoculations, Phase 1B.

In his presentation on the vaccine rollout in the CNMI at the Saipan Chamber of Commerce membership meeting last Wednesday at the Hyatt Regency Saipan ballroom in Garapan, Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. chief operating officer Subroto Banerji said his team is excited to receive the additional shipment because more people will be vaccinated soon.

“As a result of the additional vaccines, we are looking at expanding and widening the Phase 1B. We are reassessing the hours of operations. We are saying that during the middle of the day—whether it’s lunch or not—we are seeing a dip, therefore we are thinking of considering extending the hours into the evening. Not too late but to allow people who are going home from work to get their vaccination. We will be announcing that as soon as we crunch all through the numbers,” Banerji said.

He did not specify the number of vaccines that have arrived, but Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan’s (Ind-MP) digital newsletter earlier stated that the CNMI will receive another 7,800 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the first week of February. This will bring the total doses of the Pfizer vaccine to 21,450.

The same newsletter, e-kilili, said the CNMI will also receive 3,200 doses of the Moderna vaccine in the February allocation, 33% more than January’s allocation, for a total of 8,200 doses.

Each individual needs two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, 21 days apart, for maximum effectiveness.
Banerji also disclosed that CHCC is finalizing planning for Rota and Tinian. “Because the Moderna vaccine is easier to transport to Rota and Tinian, health center personnel have been going through training, along with the call center and the COVID-19 Task Force. We hope after over a couple of weeks there, we will be in a position to be able receive more vaccines and start planning out the rest of February and March,” he added.

As of Wednesday, over 10,500 residents on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota have already been vaccinated. The available vaccines in the CNMI are Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna Inc. vaccines.

Subroto said that a definite schedule will be in place as soon as they take hold of the Moderna vaccines. “As we get more Moderna, we will be able to get it out to Rota and Tinian…then the task force will start scheduling more weekly vaccinations so that we can get both islands covered pretty quickly.”