Manila seniors moved to get COVID-19 vaccine by 'certainty of defense'

More than 1,000 senior citizens in Manila were so far injected with vaccines manufactured by British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca after the city government finished inoculating almost all of its health frontline workers.

According to Sandra Aguinaldo's television report on "24 Oras," one of the senior citizens said he got COVID-19 jabs to reduce his worries of being infected with COVID-19 while serving his passengers.

"Hindi na ako nag-aalinlangan na papasok nang papasok ang COVID sakin," said Edwin Tinela, a tricycle driver operating in the capital city.

[I won't be worried that the virus will infect me.]

Zenaida Pinglon, 64, and Ruth Dizon, 75, echoed Tinela, saying they received vaccine shots to defend themselves from the severe viral ailment.

"Mas sure ka na mayroon kang defense," Pinglon, who previously suffered from hypertension and stroke, said, adding that she also researched about the drug before being vaccinated.

[One's more certain of having  defense.]

"Talagang nagpilit ako na magpabakuna, dapat talaga may protection," said Dizon.

[I really wanted to get vaccinated for my protection.]

However, experts maintained that minimum public health standards must still be followed because getting inoculated against COVID-19 does not mean they will be 100% immune from the disease.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, for his part, vowed that they will promote social distancing in all of their vaccination centers amid the enhanced community quarantine implementation.

"As a matter of policy, anything na hawak namin, idedeploy namin. We don't want to violate anything especially mass gathering and all other things kapag sila tinawag ng city ng barangay for vaccination," the mayor said.

[As a matter of policy, any vaccines that we have will be deployed. We don't want to violate anything when we call them up for our vaccination.]

Records from the Manila government showed that 19,000 out of 150,000 seniors in Manila registered for the locality's immunization program against COVID-19.

The national government's list for COVID-19 vaccination prioritizes frontline workers in health facilities including non-professionals working in health centers.

After medical workers, senior citizens are the next in line for priority groups of COVID-19 immunization program. --Consuelo Marquez/NB, GMA News