BATANG MAYNILA
Mayor Isko Moreno
Last week, Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna and I, along with fellow city officials led by the directors of our six city hospitals, did a simulation exercise of the vaccine rollout in preparation for when they finally arrive in the country.
We did the first of a series of dry-runs at the Universidad de Manila (UdM) so as to pinpoint the possible problem areas in the planned vaccination program of the city government of Manila.
There, we tried the step-by-step processes that would be done once the vaccines become available and are administered to those who are interested to have them, free of charge.
With the simulation, we hope to know exactly how to properly and swiftly deploy the vaccines, as well as all the hitches and scenario that may occur, in the process and how prooblems can be remedied when they arise.
We are interested in finding out the possible instances that could cause any delay or mishandling of the products we will use, the possible hiccups that may occur and how to address them as quickly and efficiently as possible.
In the same breadth, we also want to know exactly how effective is the technology we use, particularly the manilacovid19vaccine.com, how it will fully serve a pre-registered individual and the challenges that will posed by non-registered ones to the vaccination program.
Our goal is to get the entire vaccination done in five minutes, for those who have registered. Of course, the entire process for walk-in individuals is expected to take a lot longer since those assigned to process them will have to get all the necessary information and then enter them into the registration system.
The purpose of getting these details is for the issuance of an ID or “passport” which the holders can present in situations where they are required to show proof that they have been vaccinated.
The real-time processes will reflect, among others, who administered the vaccine, the lot number and brand of vaccine used, and when the ID holder had the vaccine.
Separate counters will be set up for those who are pre-registered and those who are not. The first step would be the screening process where one will undergo a thorough check of his vital signs such as blood pressure, pulse, and temperature.
He then shows his QR Code as proof that he had been pre-registered. The details entered will be verified for their correctness and from there, the resident would go to the area where he would be administered the vaccine.
From there, he would proceed to a designated area where he will be observed for 30 minutes for any possible adverse reactions. The resident will then be allowed to go home and await advice as to when he could get the second dose.
Professional medical personnel and an ambulance will be on standby for any worst-case scenario, although we guarantee the public that the vaccines that will be used by the local government of Manila are only those that have been certified as safe and efficient by both world and national health authorities, no less.
In Manila, the worst-case scenario is if the vaccines arrive in September yet. The good case is if they arrive in June and the best scenario is if the vaccines become available in March.
We are preparing for the worst scenario. Between January and September, while we await the vaccine, we will be busy holding dry-runs of our vaccination program.
More importantly, what we need to do in the meantime is keep the numbers at bay.
It is in this very light that once again, I call on my beloved Manilans to always follow minimum health protocols and keep themselves safe from COVID-19, since if they take good care of themselves and do not get infected, it will mean a lot less problem for our health frontliners and the city government as well.
As usual, I am banking on their full cooperation and self-discipline, which they have effectively shown during New Year’s Eve by not lighting firecrackers and again during the Feast of the Black Nazarene and the Sto. Nino fiesta where they heeded our appeal for them to do away with the traditional street activities that mark the occasions.
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Gaya ng paulit-ulit kong sinasabi, kailangan ko ang tulong ninyong lahat. Walang magmamalasakit sa Maynila kundi tayo ding mga Batang Maynila. Manila, God first!***
For updates on latest developments in the city of Manila, please visit my Facebook account – ‘Isko Moreno Domagoso.’