Davao starts registration for COVID-19 vaccine

DAVAO CITY , Philippines — The city government here has started the registration of residents qualified to receive free COVID-19 vaccines that are expected to arrive this month.

“We encourage everyone to register, provide their data to their nearest health center, barangay health workers or barangay nutrition scholars so that their names will be included in the masterlist,” Josephine Villafuerte, COVID-19 vaccination program head, said.

Villafuerte said only those 18 years old and above and not pregnant are qualified to be vaccinated.

She said frontliners, indigents, senior citizens and uniformed personnel as classified by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases will be given priority.

Villafuerte said the city is eyeing an electronic registration using the SafeDavao QR or DQR code.

Around 1.2 million people are targeted for inoculation in Davao City.

In Baguio City, health officer Rowena Galpo stressed the need to convince residents to have themselves vaccinated against COVID-19.

Galpo cited various surveys among city health workers, police officers and other residents which show that 35 to 25 percent are hesitant to be vaccinated amid conflicting reports on the efficacy of the vaccines.

She said 190,000 of the 378,000 population in Baguio City should be inoculated to achieve 80 percent herd immunity.— Artemio Dumlao