Pateros Mayor Miguel Ponce III said it is hard to convince fully vaccinated people to get their booster shots as they can access government and private sector services without the need for an additional dose.
The mayor revealed this during the launching of the “Resbakuna sa Botika” program at Watsons branch in Pateros on March 8.
The “Resbakuna sa Botika” is a national government program in which pharmacies and private clinics are tapped to administer Covid-19 booster shots.
Ponce said it has been a year since the Pateros municipal government launched the Covid-19 vaccination but the problem now is how to convince people to get their booster shots.
“Our problem now is how to convince the people to get their booster shots after having received their primary series,” said Ponce, referring to the first and second doses of the vaccine.
He said people are not getting their booster shots because rules only apply up to fully vaccinated individuals under Alert Level 1.
“We are all aware that the restrictions that we are doing against unvaccinated people and the privilege that we are giving to those who are fully vaccinated refer only to the primary series, those who received the first and second doses,” he said.
Ponce said it is hard to enforce the booster shots as establishments are now allowed to have 100 percent capacity under Alert Level 1.
“Because booster is not included in the term ‘fully vaccinated.’ So people, once they get the primary series, they are already confident that they will be able to access all services provided by the government and the private because they, for all legal intents and purposes, are fully vaccinated,” said the mayor.
The mayor urged people to get their booster shots as an added protection against Covid-19. The municipal government announced that Watsons, Jollibee and McDonald’s in the municipality will be administering AstraZeneca, Moderna and Sinovac brands as booster shots.
According to Watsons Philippines, booster shots will be administered at Watsons Pateros from March 8 to 31 every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The booster shots will be given to priority groups A1 (workers in essential health services and OFWs), A4 (workers in essential services) and A5 (indigent population or those with little to no regular income) and the rest of the adult population provided they are not senior citizens and have no comorbidities.