BATANG MAYNILA
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno
Just like the total number of vaccines deployed in the city of Manila which is at 2,029,953 as of Sept. 2, 2021, the number of individuals who have pre-registered with our mass vaccination program has also now reached 2,184,863 as of the same date.
Despite this, I and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna continue urging those who have not registered to do so, via www.manilacovid19vaccine.ph. It does not matter whether or not they are from Manila, since we in the local government have opened its doors to non-residents from the start.
We launched our online pre-registration system on New Year’s eve as a gift to Manilans. As of Sept. 2, the total of those fully vaccinated is already 799,091.
Roughly, around 100,000 of those who have so far been jabbed in the city are actually non-Manilans, under the mass vaccination program being handled by Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna, Manila Health Department chief Dr. Poks Pangan and his assistant chief Dr. Ed Santos.
Manila has a daytime population of about three million and as such, those going in and out of the city for purposes of business or work need to be protected too via vaccination.
It’s either we infect them or they infect us, so might as well vaccinate them too. This way, they are protected from getting the virus when they go to Manila in the same way that Manilans they interact with are also protected from getting infected by these non-residents.
After I and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna got infected with COVID-19, our desire to vaccinate as many people as possible increased even more.
Vice Mayor Honey was actually hit by Delta variant and to be honest, we are still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 up to now.
Not only do we feel tired from time to time but our sense of taste has not been fully restored too and we understand that these kinds of things do not go away quickly once you get infected with the coronavirus.
I thought since I am relatively young, I would be just fine but no. This illness really got me down and it was really difficult for me so I cannot imagine what it would have been like if I was not fully vaccinated.
Thank God that I and Vice Mayor Lacuna have both been fully jabbed with Sinovac otherwise, we may have not recovered quickly or would have suffered worse symptoms.
For weeks now, the city government has already achieved the so-called “population protection” based on the figures of residents who are qualified or eligible for vaccination, which is 18 years old up.
As of 3 p.m. of August 30, the total vaccines administered in Manila has already reached 1,981,864 with 767,492 already fully vaccinated.
The target population for vaccination as per Commission on Elections (COMELEC) figures is 1,065,149 based on the voting population of Manila while as per the Department of Health (DOH), it’s 1,351,487.
The vaccination in the city of Manila had been saturated and only a few remain unvaccinated.
We now opened our health centers for mass vaccination to bring the jabs nearer to those who are yet to get their first dose.
I have specifically ordered the directors of the six city hospitals being run by the local government to embrace everyone by serving all those who come for help, whether they are from Manila or not.
All the health centers are also to be utilized for the city’s mass vaccination program to include non-Manilans. We also readily give the expensive and rare medicines for severe or critical cases of COVID-19 whether or not they live in Manila.
These life-saving drugs, as I have told our city’s hospital directors, must be made available to those needing them regardless of where they reside. These medicines are Remdesivir and Tocilizumab which the city government purchased early, since they are known to save lives of those who are severe or critical COVID cases.
In opening our doors to non-Manilans, we are guided by the policy of “inclusivity.” As I have stated time and again, this pandemic is a universal problem which should be addressed inclusively. COVID-19 knows no boundaries.
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!
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For updates on latest developments in the city of Manila, please visit my Facebook account – ‘Isko Moreno Domagoso.’