Manila vaccine sites reach early cutoff as walk-in vaccinees come in droves to beat lockdown

The throng of early-morning vaccinees at a mall in Manila has blurred queue lines even prior to the scheduled vaccination on Thursday, August 5, 2021. Image from Manila PIO

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila City government has stopped accepting walk-in COVID-19 vaccinees as early as around 3 a.m. this Thursday after reaching the cutoff prior to its scheduled operations at 6 a.m.

In a Facebook post of the Manila Public Information Office (PIO), the local government said that its mall sites, particularly the Lucky Chinatown Mall, Robinsons Place Manila, and SM Manila, will not accommodate more people in line.

This, as the allocation of 2,500 doses per site has been attained.

Meanwhile, the administration of COVID-19 vaccines at SM San Lazaro was canceled.

The PIO said that this is pursuant to the mall management’s request to ensure the safety of the public as it noted the long queues.

On Tuesday, Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje urged to restrict walk-in vaccinations to prevent mass gathering and superspreader events. Cabotaje later on clarified that walk-in immunization shall be limited to senior citizens as they are vulnerable to COVID-19.

EDV