THE LOCAL government is rolling out a mobile anti-COVID vaccination to reach out to more senior citizens, especially those who cannot go to the main vaccination sites for various reasons.
This means that the mobile vaccination team will seek out cluster areas where there are still unvaccinated senior citizens after noting the low turnout of the priority sector at various jab sites.
“Sila ang pangitaon sa bakuna, dili sila ang mangita sa bakuna (They will be sought out for the vaccination and not the other way around),” Mayor Sara Duterte said on Monday.
The mobile vaccination would increase the number of senior citizens to be inoculated. There are currently 76,472 senior citizens who had their first dose.
Mayor Sara noted that the city is still short of vaccination for senior citizens. The city has between 200,000 to 300,000 senior citizens, based on the record of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).
She added that offices concerned for this vaccination rollout were already briefed on their respective tasks. The mayor said that senior citizens may refuse the available vaccine but they can wait for the schedule and the availability of their preferred vaccine.
This mobile vaccination is an additional option for senior citizens apart from public vaccination in the designated City Health Office-run vaccination sites per district.
Not only senior citizens were given options for vaccination. The essential workers or A4 can also choose whether to be vaccinated in public vaccination sites or sector organized vaccination sites.
Mayor Sara said that as long as there are vaccines, the city is open to partnership with organized groups for their sectoral vaccination. The city is aiming to inoculate 1.2 million by November to reach herd immunity.
In a press release issued by the City Information Office, the mobile vaccination is an additional option for senior citizens apart from public vaccination in designated City Health Office-run vaccination sites per district.
The city has 21 operational vaccination sites to date.
“We can see from our numbers that only a small percentage of our A2 got vaccinated so far. We will organize a mobile vaccination exclusively for senior citizens. We will look for them and know their reasons why they can’t leave their homes. They might be bed-ridden or suffering from illnesses,” she said.
Duterte noted that older people should be encouraged to get vaccinated because they have the highest risk of death from COVID-19.
As of July 25, at least 330,945 residents have received the first dose of anti-COVID-19 vaccines, of whom 149,122 are fully vaccinated.
Of this number, the number of priority A1 or health workers who received the first dose was 47,332 and 37,928 for second dose; priority A3 or persons with co-morbidities, 101,833 first dose and 77,646 second dose; priority A4 or essential workers, 97,446 first dose and 1,056 second dose; and priority A5 or poor population, 7,871 first dose and 5,127 second dose. (with reports from MindaNews)
