Mayor Abigail "Abby" Binay assured that the community vaccination drive against flu and pneumonia will continue in villages amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic to strengthen their immune system.
"Tinitiyak ko na tuloy-tuloy ang pag-iikot ng mga health personnel sa bawat barangay upang maghatid ng libreng bakuna para sa mga residente (I assure you that health workers will continue to do their rounds in the villages of Makati to administer free vaccines)," Binay said.
The Makati Health Department (MHD) said health workers are administering trivalent flu shots that cover three strains of influenza — influenza A or H1N1, influenza A or H3N2, and influenza B.
Binay said she and other city hall employees were given flu and pneumonia shots recently.
The city government kicked off the community vaccination drive in Barangay Pembo on August 12.
Mayor Abigail Binay said the program seeks to boost the immune system of residents and give them additional protection against complications from COVID-19.
In July, Makati City provided free flu and pneumonia shots to frontliners and essential workers. The city’s immunization program covers all 9,706 city hall employees, but ordered the Health Department to prioritize city doctors, nurses, and health personnel.
By immunizing them against the two potentially deadly diseases of the respiratory system, Binay said the city aims to strengthen their resistance to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 infection.
As of August 28, Makati has 3, 425 confirmed COVID-19 cases.