The local government of Valenzuela City started its coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination program rollout on Wednesday, March 3.
The city's healthcare workers received on Wednesday the China-made Sinovac vaccines at the Valenzuela Medical Center.
Dra. Maria Estrella Litam, chief of the Valenzuela Medical Center, was the first medical frontliner to receive the Sinovac shot in the city.
Mayor Rex Gatchalian thanked the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases for "honoring the frontline workers by giving them vaccine."
“Ngayon alam natin kahit na marami pa tayong COVID handled patients, eh protektado yung mga mamamayan natin… yung mga frontline workers natin (Now we know that even though we still have many COVID patients, our people and our frontline workers are protected),” Gatchalian said.
The mayor asked the city's frontliners to be inoculated to help in encouraging the residents to get the vaccine as well.
“Sa mga na vaccinate na, tulungan niyo ho ang lokal na pamahalaan na ipaliwanag sa mamamayan ng Valenzuela na safe at dapat tayong magpabakuna pagdating ng mga supplies ng vaccine (For those who are already vaccinated, help the local government to explain to the people of Valenzuela that it is safe and that we should be vaccinated when the supplies arrive),” he said.
The Valenzuela Medical Center also caters to residents of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Southern Bulacan as it is the only public tertiary hospital for COVID-19 patients in the area.