San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora on Wednesday asked Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to allow him to be the first person to be inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine in the city.
In a letter he read during the visit of National Task Force against COVID-19 in the city, Zamora said he is aware that the priority in the vaccination program are healthcare workers and medical frontliners but he believed that being the first to be inoculated will boost his constituents trust and confidence.
“(I) seek your approval…to be the first person to be vaccinated in the City of San Juan. The undersigned is volunteering in order to increase the trust and confidence of our citizens in the vaccination process and to encourage them to have themselves inoculated as well,” he said.
Ang ating liham para kay DOH Sec. Francisco Duque III, Chairperson ng IATF kung saan pormal po akong humingi ng…
Posted by Mayor Francis Zamora on Tuesday, February 9, 2021
During the presentation, he said, at present, only 19,494 of their residents registered to receive the vaccine.
“The City of San Juan has been earnestly campaigning for our people to register. In fact, we have started online and offline registration as early as January 4, 2021. Unfortunately, as of this time, after one month and six days… just 15% of the city’s total population registered,” he said.
He said this is still far from their target of 70% or 85, 526 people to achieve herd immunity.
He further said that he personally feels that through volunteering to be the first to be inoculated and showing people that the vaccine is indeed safe and effective “would be a big boost towards this goal.”
“This will convince more people to get vaccinated and therefore increase the number of registrants before the actual rollout,” said Zamora.
Present during the visit were National Action Plan Against COVID -19 deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon, National Economic and Development Authority Acting Secretary Karl Chua, and Metropolitan Manila Develo(pment Authority chairman Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr.
Other cities also have problems with convincing their constituents to register.
Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian said the residents have some reservations and wanted to see their neighbors and the mayor to to go first in the inoculation.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte earlier said more than half of their residents are willing to be vaccinated but 10,819 refused to get vaccinated while 26,725 said they were undecided.
Health experts earlier said that Filipinos’ trust and confidence in vaccines may be the next challenge in the COVID-19 pandemic.—AOL, GMA News
