The San Juan City local government launched on Thursday, June 22, the bivalent Covid-19 vaccine inoculation program for those under the A1 category or healthcare workers living or working in the city as part of its efforts in ensuring the protection of its citizens against Covid-19 and its more transmissible variants. San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora spearheaded the program together with Department of Health (DOH) Regional Director Dr. Aleli Anne Grace Sudiacal and other city officials at the FilOil EcoOil Centre. Those who fall under the A1.1 category (health workers in the Covid-19 referral hospitals designated by the DOH) and A1.2 category (frontline workers in public and private hospitals providing Covid-19 care) will be given their doses first. These are workers from San Juan Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, St. Martin De Porres Charity Hospital, F. Manalo Puericulture Center, and LGU isolation facilities. According to Zamora, the DOH rolled out Department Memorandum (DM) No. 2023-078 or the Interim Guidelines on the Management and Administration of COVID-19 Vaccine Pfizer Bivalent. This will be administered to healthcare workers who have received their second booster shot at least four months prior. The bivalent shot will be considered as the third booster dose for the eligible population. “I would like to reiterate that while we are well on our way to recovery from the pandemic, we still need to protect ourselves from the virus. The bivalent booster vaccine is an improved version of the vaccine that provides a broader protection against the Omicron variant," he said. The mayor explained that the bivalent Covid-19 vaccine has components that provide better protection against the original strain as well as the newer omicron variant. It helps in lowering the risk of severe illnesses, hospitalization, and death resulting from Covid-19. He reminded the public that the city still offers second booster shots to residents and non-residents of San Juan. Interested vaccinees may register with the city’s vaccine registration portal and wait for their scheduled vaccination. “I urge everyone to get your booster shots if you are due for it and are qualified to get it. Remember that the virus continually evolves and our immunity decreases over time, so we need to stay protected,” Zamora stressed. Being one of the staunch advocates of vaccines and vaccination, Zamora repeatedly underscored their importance as one of the key factors in keeping the number of infected individuals in San Juan, including the severity of their cases, to a minimum. The country officially rolled out the bivalent Covid-19 vaccines on Wednesday, June 21, at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City. Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Dr. Teodoro "Ted" Herbosa urged the public, especially those belonging to the A1 category, to avail of the free bivalent vaccines to not just protect themselves from the virus, but also their loved ones and the community. He received his bivalent Covid-19 shot followed by over 2,500 healthcare workers. On June 3, the Lithuanian government donated 391,000 bivalent Covid-19 vaccines to the country. Another 390,000 doses of the same vaccine were also donated by the COVAX Facility on June 13.