Around 100 senior citizens participated in a COVID-19 vaccination simulation activity by the Manila city government at Legarda Elementary School in Sampaloc, Manila on Thursday, Feb. 18.
Manila City Health Officer Arnold "Poks" Pangan said the simulation exercise was done to help senior citizens know more about the city government's vaccination program as they are included in the priority list for the vaccine.
Dr. Pangan said there are around 157,000 senior citizens in the capital city, but not all are willing to be inoculated.
“Alam naman po natin after ng mga frontliners, healthcare workers, susunod po nating babakunahan yung ating mga senior citizens. So minarapat po ng Pamahalaang Lungsod ng Maynila, sa bilin po ni Mayor Isko Moreno at Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna, na magsagawa po kami ng simulation exercise, kasi ibang sektor po ito so ibang challenge po ito sa atin (We all know that after the frontliners, healthcare workers, the next to be vaccinated are our senior citizens. So, under the directive of Mayor Isko Moreno and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna, the Manila city government decided to conduct a simulation exercise, because this is a different sector, this will be a different challenge for us)," he said.
“Para naman po makita natin kung ano yung magiging problema at kung anong mga adjustments yung gagawin natin (So we can see the possible problems and what adjustments we need to do)," he added.
The city health officer said frontline health workers will also be trained in the simulation exercise because they will be required to assist senior citizens who hace difficulty in walking, reading, or speaking throughout the vaccination process.
Patients who pre-registered at manilacovid19vaccine.com will follow the steps below:
- Checking of vital signs
- Screening and verification
- Vaccination proper
- Holding area for observation
Walk-in patients will observe the following steps:
- Checking of vital signs
- Walk-in registration
- Screening and verification
- Vaccination proper
- Holding area for observation
The Manila city government has been conducting vaccination simulation exercises since January, 2021 to practice health workers in administering vaccines and to spot possible problems that may arise.