Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto jabbed with AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

Pasig City mayor Vico Sotto received the first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday.

Sharing a photo of himself getting inoculated on Facebook, Sotto explained that he was the 57,858th Pasig citizen to be vaccinated even if mayors were part of the A1 priority group.

"Ilang linggo na rin akong kinukulit ng Vaccination Team natin na magpabakuna na. Nasa kategoryang A1 ang mga mayor. Gusto ko naman talagang magpabakuna, pero lagi kong naiisip na may mga mas dapat unahin na high risk, katulad ng seniors pero napagtanto ko na ang pagbabakuna ay hindi lang para sa sarili ko, kundi para sa lahat ng nakakasalamuha ko," Vico wrote.

(The Vaccination Team has been after me for weeks to get vaccinated. Mayors are under the A1 category. Of course, I wanted to get vaccinated but I figured that others were at higher risk, like seniors, who should be inoculated first. But I've come to realize that being vaccinated isn't just for myself but also those around me.)

He added, "Kahit na nag-iingat ako at umiiwas ako sa physical contact, hindi pa rin maiiwasan ang makipag-meeting at bumaba sa ground para sa trabaho."

(Even if I'm careful and I avoid physical contact, I can't avoid having meetings and being on the ground for my job.)

Vico also shared that he got the AstraZeneca vaccine, and didn't bother to get the one manufactured by Pfizer.

"Bakit pa?? Eh ganun din naman 'yon. Lahat ng aprubadong brand, nasa 100% ang proteksyon sa severe [symptoms] at bumababa ang tsansa na makapanghawa kung magkasakit man ang nabakunahan na," the mayor said.

(Why should I? It's all the same. All are approved brands, and it protects against severe [symptoms] 100% of the time, and the chances of transmitting it to others even if you get the disease will be lowered if you get vaccinated.)

He then advised his residents that there was still a limited supply but they're hoping to have more in the coming months.

"Kaya habang naghihintay, ihanda na natin ang mga sarili natin. Makinig sa eksperto, at wag sa forwarded message sa Viber. Tandaan natin, hindi lang ito para sa mga sarili natin, kundi para sa ating lahat," he added.

[So while waiting, let's prepare ourselves. Listen to experts, and not to messages forwarded through Viber. Always remember, this isn't just for ourselves, but for everyone.]

— DVM, GMA News