Fewer citizens visit Metro Manila vaccination sites

There was a notable decline in the number of citizens who visited Metro Manila vaccination sites to get their COVID-19 shots.

According to Vonn Aquino's Saturday report on "24 Oras Weekend," the Holy Trinity Academy, a vaccination site in Manila's Sampaloc district was nearly empty. Even though they had been open for almost two hours, only 53 people got their first dose of Sinovac.

The Ramon Magsaysay High School, a vaccination site on Espana Boulevard that also offered Sinovac, also saw the same trend and instead of having six to seven vaccinators, they've decreased these to only three.

"Kaya matumal na ang pagdating ng mga vaccines natin ay we have covered already around 90% of our community in vaccination, "Dr. Jocelyn Denoga, the Manila District 4 Health Officer, said.

(That's why the arrival of vaccines is slow because we've already covered 90% of our community in vaccination.)

Denoga denied that the brand Sinovac discouraged citizens to get vaccinated and said, "Kasi doon sa 91%, almost 50 doon vaccinated by Sinovac kasi doon ang unang dumating na vaccine natin ay Sinovac."

(Because in that 91%, almost 50 are vaccinated with Sinovac because that is the first vaccine that arrived.)

Meanwhile, Quezon City's Esteban Abada Elementary School, which also offers Sinovac, also saw a decline. Last Monday, they had seven to ten pairs of vaccinators, but they decreased it to five pairs instead.

"Sa ngayon, to date, marami na tayong nabakunahan sa Quezon City so isa siguro 'yun," Dr. Karen Gemma See, the Quezon City District Health officer, said. "Ano ngayon eh maraming may gusto ng brand preference nila. May iba kaming brand na hindi Sinovac hindi rin namin napupuno 'yung target."

(To date, we've already vaccinated a lot of people in Quezon City so that's one of the reasons. People also have brand preferences nowadays. We have other brands aside from Sinovac that also didn't reach their target number.)

Some citizens said that although they registered to get vaccinated online, they were already vaccinated first by the barangay assisted registration.

During a Senate hearing on Friday, senators asked the Department of Health why most of the vaccines procured by the government were from Sinovac.

However, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. emphasized that all the vaccines the government procured are effective.

"Just recently may lumabas po sa lancet publication around 10,000 samples or individuals inoculated with Sinovac at nagpakita po ng 100% effectiveness against severe infection at 'yun naman talaga ang gusto natin at nakikita natin din dito sa ating bansa na ang Sinovac is protecting our population," DOH spokesperson and Usec. Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

(Just recently, a lancet publication came out that said around 10,000 samples or individuals inoculated with Sinovac showed 100% effectiveness against severe infection and that's what we want to see in our country, that Sinovac is protecting our population.)

— Kaela Malig/DVM, GMA News