Valenzuela City Mayor Weslie “Wes” Gatchalian said Tuesday, July 19, that he will be focusing on creating a “marketing campaign” to urge his constituents to get their Covid-19 booster shots.
In an interview with DZXL 558, Gatchalian shared that there is “nothing alarming” when it comes to the Covid-19 status in the city as the active cases are still low and being monitored. However, the number of people vaccinated with booster doses needs to improve.
He said that they were given a mandate by the Department of Health (DOH) to get 50 percent of the city’s population inoculated with at least their first booster dose (90 percent for the senior citizens) in the first 100 days of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s term.
The mayor added that despite the availability of the vaccines and enough personnel in the City Health Office, only a few residents visit their vaccination sites to get the Covid-19 booster shots.
According to the mayor, since the number of active cases in the city is low, some of the residents opt not get vaccinated with the booster, while others lack time due to work.
Gatchalian said that he is working with the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) and the City Health Office to create a marketing campaign.
“In the next few days, I will be concentrating po on the marketing campaign to reach out to them, na mahikayat sila na magpa-first booster man lang (In the next few days, I will be concentrating on the marketing campaign to reach out and encourage them to get at least their first booster shot),” he said.
According to Gatchalian, the local government will open two to three additional vaccination sites.
He said that the city employees are also allowed to get the Covid-19 booster shots.