BATANG MAYNILA
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno
I note with so much gladness and pride how Manilans braved the rains and floods last week, just to get vaccinated.
Amid the heavy downpour, throngs of residents trooped to our designation vaccination sites in what could only be seen as strong determination on their part to get protected from falling severe or critical amid the continued presence of COVID-19, with variants on the side. This is also a clear validation of the effectiveness of the campaign that we, in Manila, have been actively waging to drum up interest in getting vaccinated at every opportunity that comes along.
As usual, I am at a loss for words to describe how grateful for and proud I am of my working partner, Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna and Manila Health Department chief Dr, Poks Pangan, who have both been working over and beyond their normal call of duty to help me realize my dream of achieving herd immunity in the city at the soonest time possible.
Vice Mayor Honey and Doc Poks have been really hands on with our mass vaccination program from Day 1 and they, along with our vaccinating teams, are there rain or shine and even during holidays and weekends, for as long as vaccines are there for the jabbing.
The doctors, nurses, encoders, barangay authorities and personnel from the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO) under Arnel Angeles and all other workers helping in keeping the vaccination processes very orderly and swift also deserve our highest commendation for being an integral part of the overall effort to provide the residents the much-needed protection via continued and fast mass vaccination.
We are so proud of our residents and all those behind the city government’s vaccination efforts as we are now so near to reaching herd immunity. This is an accomplishment that I can directly attribute to the residents and our vaccinating teams, for their participation and full support to our continued appeal to get jabbed.
According to the Department of Health, we in Manila would have to be able to inoculate 800,000 residents, or 70 percent of our total population in order to achieve the so-called herd immunity.
To date, 710,595 individuals have been inoculated in the city, with 444,985 having been fully vaccinated. We have successfully administered a total of 1,155,580 vaccines since we began our mass vaccination program in March. This figure includes the 400,000 doses of Sinovac that the local government directly procured from its maker in China.
Sadly, the threat of Delta variant is no longer. It has been confirmed that it has made its way into the country and so, we have to devise new ways to avert its transmission.
While home quarantine for asymptomatic patients used to be allowed after due verification that they have the ample space in their home where they can be under proper isolation, this is no longer the case because we have to nip Delta variant in the bud.
Instead, I had directed our assistant MHD chief, Dr. Ed Santos, to track down all asymptomatic patients who are presently under home quarantine and get them, for purposes of testing if they have the variant and proper treatment at the Manila COVID-19 Field Hospital under the directorship of Dr. Arlene Dominguez.
At our Manila COVID-19 Field Hospital, a patient is better ensured of proper care by qualified medical practitioners.
Apart from free complete meals thrice a day, the hospital is fully-air conditioned and has Wi-Fi, television sets and separate wards, bathrooms and toilets for men and women. Each of the 344 beds there is equipped with oxygen, a mini cabinet and a communication system that is connected to the nurses’ stations.
In line with this, I am appealing for full cooperation from the public, specially those who may be affected by my directive, since the greater good of the greater majority is at stake here. As we all know by now, the said variant is more contagious, spreads faster and is even deadlier than COVID-19 itself.
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.’