MANILA, Philippines — At least 30,000 residents and non-residents of Marikina City are expected to get inoculated during the three-day national vaccination program that will run until tomorrow, the local government said yesterday.
Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said the city received 30,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, which would be rolled out during the three-day drive.
City hall targets to vaccinate 10,000 people per day, Teodoro said.
The local government opened the Marikina Sports Complex for pediatric vaccination, Marikina Convention Center for those receiving booster shots, Sto. Niño Elementary School for persons with comorbidities and Marikina Elementary School for first dose recipients.
Vaccination hours in Marikina run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Teodoro said walk-ins are allowed at the Marikina Elementary School for individuals who have yet to receive their first dose, but he urged them to pre-register a day before.
“Because it is a national vaccination drive, we are allowing walk-ins but only in a particular site, for both residents and non-residents,” he said.
“We are expecting non-residents to avail themselves of walk-in appointments because we have fully vaccinated 425,000 residents. With Marikina’s population of 488,000, we have reached our target for herd immunity,” Teodoro added.
Omicron variant
In Manila, Mayor Isko Moreno said he supports the national vaccination drive as a way to prepare against the new COVID-19 variant Omicron.
Moreno thanked the national government for prioritizing the inoculation program.
“We urge the people to have themselves vaccinated immediately in preparation for the Omicron variant,” he said.
Moreno assured his constituents that the city government is prepared for a possible surge in COVID-19 cases due to the new variant.
“We have to prepare since Omicron could be worse than the Delta variant,” he said.
At least 26,831 individuals got their first, second and booster shots in Manila during the first day of the intensified vaccine rollout yesterday, according to the city government.
In Valenzuela, Mayor Rex Gatchalian said the city government deployed teams to lead the vaccination drive in Malolos, Marilao, San Jose Del Monte and Sta. Maria in Bulacan. – Marc Jayson Cayabyab