Manila breaks vaccination record
The City of Manila has broken its own record after it posted the administration of 125,598 vaccines in three consecutive days, from 3 to 5 July.
In a report, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso expressed optimism the Sinovac vaccines the local government purchased will have been used up by today as the city continues with its mass vaccination drive.
Upon the mayor’s instruction, vaccinations in Manila have been ongoing even on weekends. On Saturday, 3 July, 42,649 vaccines were injected, while on Sunday, 4 July, another 39,938 were given to vaccinees.
On Monday, 5 July, another daily record of 43,011 vaccines deployed was noted that day.
Saying vaccination must be faster than infection, the Manila mayor ordered that mass vaccination be carried out from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., or a total of 14 hours, on a daily basis.
He congratulated and thanked the vaccinating teams under the supervision of Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna, Manila Health Department chief Dr. Poks Pangan and assistant MHD chief Dr. Ed Santos.
On 24 June, Domagoso and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna welcomed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 the delivery of 400,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine the city purchased from the Chinese drugmaker. The shipment will cover the two-dose requirement of 200,000 individuals.
Saying vaccination must be faster than infection, the Manila mayor ordered that mass vaccination be carried out from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., or a total of 14 hours, on a daily basis.
It is said that Manila is the only local government in the world that bought its own supply of vaccines.
On the other hand, a night vaccination program was conducted on Monday night, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in Divisoria to accommodate market workers, vendors and public utility vehicle drivers who cannot make it to the vaccination sites during the day since they are working and cannot forego a day’s earnings.
On Thursday last week, mass vaccination was carried out exclusively on about a thousand overseas Filipino workers (OFW) at a hotel.
The mayor said it was the city’s gift to OFW so they can immediately return to their employers abroad.