The San Juan City local government launched on Tuesday, April 26, the second booster shot for its immunocompromised residents as the country steps up its efforts to curb Covid-19 and protect its citizens from the coronavirus.
San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora, together with other city government officials and employees, led the launch at the 3rd Floor of VMall Greenhills.
Zamora said 300 immunocompromised individuals were scheduled to get their booster shots on Tuesday. In total, 900 people are registered in the system who will get their second booster shot in the coming days. This number does not include other people with comorbidities.
"We welcome this new development in our fight against Covid-19. We may have eased our Covid-19 restrictions in the new normal, but we must remain vigilant to avoid another surge. We already know that the vaccine efficacy wanes after several months, so getting the second booster shot is very important," Zamora said.
Individuals belonging to the immunocompromised category are those in immunodeficiency state, with HIV, active cancer or malignancy, transplant recipients, undergoing steroid treatment, patients with poor prognosis or bed-ridden, and other conditions as certified by doctors.
"Ang gusto natin na ang ating immunocompromised ay protektado. Kailangan talaga nila ng proteksyon. Meron din tayong house-to-house vaccination para sa mga constituents nating hindi na kayang magpunta dito sa ating vaccination site (We want immunocompromised people to be protected. They really need the protection, hence, we also have house-to-house vaccination for those who are incapable of going to the vaccination site)," Zamora said.
He reminded the public that eligible individuals for the second booster shot should be 18 years old and above and have received their Covid-19 booster shot at least three months prior and have received other vaccination at least two weeks before receiving their second booster shot.
Those who will qualify may also choose their vaccine brand, depending on the availability of vaccine brands in the vaccination site, as advised by the Department of Health (DOH).
Currently, Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines are available in the city. Those who are bedridden, however, will not be able to choose their vaccine since some vaccines require sensitive handling.
Zamora also expressed optimism that the local government will be able to finish the second booster shots this week and will be ready to roll out to other priority groups once the DOH gives the go-signal.
"I am calling on my fellow San Juanenos to register in our registration portal again and choose the '2nd Booster Registration' option to receive your second booster shot and get added protection against Covid-19," the mayor said.
Residents may register using the link or QR code that can be found in Zamora's official Facebook page.
As of April 24, 2022, San Juan City has logged only four active cases, has fully vaccinated 262.11 percent of its residents, and administered booster shots to 95.95 percent of its target population.