Valenzuela mayor shares success in convincing residents to get vaccine jabs

Senior citizens wait for their turn to get vaccinated in Valenzuela City. Image from Facebook / Valenzuela City

MANILA, Philippines — While Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian admitted Thursday there was an initial challenge in convincing residents to get their COVID-19 shots, he said the circumstances now are “getting better” through time.

Gatchalian said that when their city government began the vaccination for persons with comorbidities, their appointment turnout was only at 45 to 55 percent.

“The bigger challenge will probably be trying to convince 100 percent of your population to get inoculated. But it’s getting better,” Gatchalian said in an interview with INQUIRER.net’s INQside Look.

“When we started the [vaccination] program, doon sa persons with comorbidities, sa by appointments natin, ang turnout namin nasa mga 45 to 55 percent lang, that was a month ago. Pero one month later, now, it’s up to 75 to 85 percent so meaning, nag-double yung mga tao na gustong magpabakuna,” he added.

Gatchalian believes that the “best selling proposition” in convincing residents to get vaccinated is seeing their family and neighbors getting safely inoculated.

“So for us in Valenzuela, we believe na giving them that experience na pagdating nila sa vaccination site well-guided sila, hindi hassle, may social distancing, convenient, comfortable, clean, will be part of that overall selling proposition na pag-uwi nila sa komunidad nila, kaya nila i-kwento na ‘hindi lang safe, ang dali pa magpa bakuna doon, hindi hassle’,” Gatchalian said.

As we inoculate more common, more Juan dela Cruz, they become the salesmen for the program itself,” he added.

According to Gatchalian, 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 second dose for senior citizens and persons with comorbidities will begin on May 8.