BATANG MAYNILA Mayor Isko Moreno Hopefully this month, when the anti-COVID-19 vaccines finally arrive, Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna will lead the city in getting the jab. This is to allay the fears and doubts that some skeptics may be entertaining in their minds and boost confidence in the vaccines and in getting inoculated. As I have stated time and again, there is a need to mass-vaccinate in order to create herd immunity that would enable everyone to get back to their old lives, while practicing the minimum health protocols, and for the country to once again open up its economy. In every forum available, including interviews and in my weekly live broadcasts, I repeatedly call on the public, specially Manilans, to avail of the free vaccination being offered by the Manila city government. I personally assure that only those vaccines that have been duly approved by our health authorities and certified as safe and efficient will be used in the mass vaccination in Manila. Too, I urge everyone to avail of whatever vaccines may come our way, because the benefits of getting the vaccine far outweigh the disadvantages. Without the vaccine, we are constantly a hundred percent at risk of getting COVID and dying from it. Getting vaccinated may not make us immune from the coronavirus but it will certainly give us protection enough to avoid landing in the list of severe cases should we get infected. Therefore, the risk of dying is eliminated. Now, since there are some who fear and doubt the vaccines already available in the market, I am willing to unburden them of those doubts and fears. In fact, I am going to make sure that the vaccine I will get will be the same one that will be given to those interested in availing of the free mass inoculation to be implemented by the city government. I am not really particular with the brand or country of origin, for so long as the vaccine is duly accredited by national health authorities and experts as safe and efficient. We should continue believing in the system. While there may be shortcomings at times, there is a need to continue believing that the system will work. We should trust our specialists, doctors, and scientists who guarantee  that a certain product is safe instead of risking being exposed to   getting infected with the coronavirus and dying from it.

Let me reiterate that the benefits of getting vaccinated far outweigh the losses and anything above zero is positive. Instead of avoiding the risks, I believe it would be more beneficial to manage them.  We need to begin moving ahead with our lives but safely, keeping the minimum health protocols in mind and practicing them constantly. While awaiting the vaccines, we in the local government of Manila continuously conduct simulation exercises and I am certain that we have perfected the system once our vaccination program begins. We simultaneously conducted simulation exercises for COVID-19 vaccination at the city-run Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center (GABMMC), led by hospital director Dr. Ted Martin and all its medical frontliners. And then, the Manila Health Department (MHD) under its chief Dr. Arnold Pangan led the simulation of the transport of vaccines from the storage facility at the Sta. Ana Hospital all the way to the 18 target vaccination sites in the city.  From the Sta. Ana Hospital, the vaccines were placed inside transport coolers and brought to their various destinations. These simulation exercises are meant to perfect the vaccination program of the city. All of the six hospitals being run by the city government are ready to administer the vaccines to those who are interested to get the jab. Once again, I call on those who want to get vaccinated for free to register with  www.covid19vaccine.com.  Being registered does not mean that one can no longer change his mind. As I’ve said time and again, in Manila, one can be choosy.  One can choose to be vaccinated or not.  One can either get the vaccine that becomes available or not. In the meantime, we in the city government will do everything possible to convince and educate the public on the importance of getting vaccinated. *** Gaya ng paulit-ulit  kong sinasabi, kailangan ko ang tulong ni nyong lahat. Walang mag mamalasakit sa Maynila kundi tayo ding mga Batang Maynila. Manila, Godfirst! *** For updates on latest developments in the city of Manila, please visit my Facebook account--- ‘IskoMoreno Domagoso.’