Senior citizens and residents with comorbidities wait for their turn to get vaccinated in Valenzuela City. Image from the Valenzuela City government website
MANILA, Philippines — Around 16,000 individuals have already received their COVID-19 vaccine in Valenzuela City, mayor Rex Gatchalian said Thursday.
In an interview with INQUIRER.net’s INQside Look, Gatchalian said 14,000 have already been given their first dose of COVID-19 jabs while 2,000 have already received their two doses.
Those who have received their two doses of COVID-19 vaccines are healthcare workers, said Gatchalian.
Meanwhile, the mayor said the administration of the second dose to senior citizens and persons with comorbidities will begin on May 8.
Gatchalian said a “no walk-in policy” is being strictly implemented in vaccination sites in their city and that those who wish to get vaccinated have to set an appointment.
“People will apply online using our portal where they got their QR codes for contact tracing. They fill up the medical forms there. Then they get an appointments letter delivered to them,” Gatchalian said.
“We make sure that when they get to the vaccination center, they won’t get contaminated there so that’s why may appointments para may social distance sila,” he added.
The Valenzuela mayor said aside from the vaccine supply from the national government, the city government has also procured 640,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to cover 320,000 individuals.
“That is 70 percent of our adult population which is the target herd immunity. But the national government has also bought for Valenzuela so we’ll have more than enough for everybody,” Gatchalian said.
Data from the city government showed that as of April 27, there are 1,043 active cases of COVID-19 in the city. Meanwhile, 15,474 have recovered from COVID-19 while 399 have succumbed to the disease.