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Vice mayor, 200 medical frontliners first to take jabs as Manila starts COVID-19 vaccination


Manila City on Tuesday started its vaccination against COVID-19 with Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan and around 200 medical frontliners first to take the shots.

According to Jonathan Andal's report on Unang Balita, Mayor Isko Moreno did not receive the shot since according to him he is not qualified because he is not a medical frontliner.

Moreno said they will follow the instruction of the Department of Health and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to give priority to healthcare workers.

"Masayang-masaya ako para sa aming Vice Mayor na si Dra. Honey Lacuna-Pangan na isa ring medical frontliner na nabakunahan na," he said in a Facebook post.

The ceremonial vaccination was conducted at Sta. Ana Hospital.

According to Moreno, around 1,900 out of the 5,000 medical frontliners in Manila have registered for inoculation using Sinovac vaccines.

Moreno said the number of total registration increased after the symbolic vaccination at the Philippine General Hospital on Monday, where the first COVID-19 shot in the country was administered.

"Dumami 'yung nagparehistro. In fact 1,900 ang nagparehistro," he said.

“Sa higit kumulang 5,000 na medical frontliners ng lungsod ng Maynila—Manila Health Department at anim na ospital—hinihikayat ko sila na huwag nilang sayangin 'yung pagkakataon na mabigyan ng proteksyon ang kanilang katawan,” Moreno added. 

According to a report of Bernadette Reyes on GTV’s Balitanghali, only 50 healthcare workers are scheduled to get vaccinated on Tuesday.

Only 99 medical personnel or 20 percent of the total number of healthcare workers have registered to receive the shots from Sinovac.

Ospital ng Sampaloc director Aileen Lacsamana also received the vaccine.

In her hospital, only 20% of the 280 staff has expressed interest in getting the shots. According to her, vaccination is needed in the hospital since they have a COVID-19 ward.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III visited the vaccination site and encouraged the medical frontliners to receive the shots against COVID-19.—KBK/LDF, GMA News

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