ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 25 July) – The number of fully vaccinated residents in the city has reached 42,652 as of July 22, or 4.4 % of the city’s 977,234 population.
Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco said the city aims to vaccinate 70% of its population or 684,063 to achieve herd immunity. As of July 22, the number of fully vaccinated persons or those who have received two doses of the vaccine represents only 6.2% of 684,063.
Among the eight vaccines granted emergency use authorization in the Philippines, only Johnson and Johnson’s Jannsen is single dose. The rest are two doses.
The City Health Office (CHO) also reported that as of July 22, 85,483 residents had received their first dose.
Since the vaccination rollout in early March, the city has received 21 shipments of vaccines from the Department of Health (DOH), the United States Government, and doses purchased by the Zamboanga City local government. The vaccines that arrived were made by Sinovac, Pfizer, Moderna, Astrazeneca, Gamaleya Sputnik V.
Climaco said at least 50 vaccination centers are being established by the CHO. “If (eventually) activated simultaneously, these could vaccinate 5,000 persons a day,” she said.
The city government has been campaigning through community visits, mainstream and social media, for residents to get vaccinated.
Der. Norvie Jalani, epidemiologist of the Zamboanga City Medical Center epidemiologist said, “we will still have (COVID-19) cases, but as the number of vaccinated people is increasing, we will expect few hospitalizations and few deaths.”
The city government has been urging Zamboangueños through community visits, mainstream and social media, to be vaccinated.
“I think, marami pong gustong magpavaccine, the issue lang po is the availability of the vaccine and the scheduling,” Jailani said. Climaco said vaccination will “continue while supply lasts.”
Karen dela Cruz, a working student and mother, registered twice in the city’s website but as of Saturday has not received any call or text message from the CHO on her vaccination schedule.
The CHO reported that it has administered the vaccines on 14,872 persons in Priority A1 (workers in frontline health services), and 12,109 had completed two doses; 25,806 senior citizens (first dose) and 13,055 (two doses); 38,907 individuals with comorbidity (A3), and 16,646 who completed the second dose; and 5,998 individuals with first dose in Priority A4 (frontliners in the essential sector) and 842 for the second dose.
Jalani stressed that the vaccines were formulated to prevent severe infections. (Frencie L. Carreon / MindaNews)