Parañaque allots P250M for vaccination program; secures 200k doses of AstraZeneca

A total of 200,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine have been secured by the local government of Parañaque for its residents.

According to Mayor Edwin Olivarez, a total of P250 million was allotted for the city's vaccination program. Aside from AstraZeneca, the city government is also planning to acquire more vaccines from other pharmaceutical firms such as Janssen, Pfizer and Moderna.

"Once these vaccines are delivered, we shall immediately roll out a vaccination program that will cover the most vulnerable population, including our frontline workers and senior citizens,” Olivarez said, adding the vaccines will be free.

“This is a very significant development in our fight against COVID-19. Hopefully, we shall soon see the end of this deadly pandemic and allow our people to go back to our normal lives," he added.

The mayor inked the multilateral agreement for the advanced purchase of AZD1222 vaccine in the Philippines, dated January 10. The purchase price is $5 per dose or a total of $1 million for the city government.

Dr. Olga Virtusio, the city's health officer, said the plan is to vaccinate up to 119,200 residents during Phase 1 of the inoculation program.

The city will prioritize frontline workers, uniformed personnel, persons with disabilities, senior citizens and indigents in the vaccination program.

Virtusio said the ultimate goal is to reach a 90% vaccination coverage to attain an approximate 70% herd immunity of the critical population.

Aside from Parañaque, the cities of Makati, Navotas, Quezon, San Juan, Manila, Caloocan and Valenzuela also signed deals with AstraZeneca for their respective vaccination programs. — Anna Felicia Bajo/RSJ, GMA News