NCR mayors willing to get first Covid-19 vaccine shots

MANILA – Local chief executives in the National Capital Region have expressed willingness to be the first to get vaccinated once the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines arrive in their cities.

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora has volunteered to get the first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine in his locality to boost the confidence of his constituents.

“I will be the first to get the vaccine to increase the level of confidence of our constituents in the vaccine and more of them will trust the vaccine. I will really be an ambassador for the vaccination process here in San Juan,” he said.

Zamora said the city government is targeting at least 70 percent of the city’s population to volunteer for the inoculation program.

In Valenzuela City, Mayor Rex Gatchalian said he is willing to be the first in his city to get vaccinated of any brand of Covid-19 vaccine as long as it has passed the stringent regulatory process of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“I can be the first patient to be vaccinated—it doesn’t matter which brand, as long as (it is) FDA approved. I always have that qualifier,” he said in his previous interview.

Gatchalian urged his constituents to sign up for the city’s online vaccine registration for Valenzuela City Vaccination (VCVax) campaign to get free shots of the vaccine.

Once the vaccines arrive in Caloocan City, Mayor Oca Malapitan said he is willing to get the first shot of any brand of Covid-19 vaccine to prove its safety and efficacy.

“Para ipakita lang sa mga mamamayanan na ‘kung ang leader natatakot kami pa kaya’ (To show off to our constituents saying ‘even the leaders are feared how much more us’)–so kailangan (we need to) lead by a good example,” he said while noting that he is willing to do it publicly if necessary so that his constituents would feel his sincerity.

In his previous interviews, Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said he is willing to get vaccinated publicly as long as the vaccine that will be administered to him had been certified by the country’s FDA.

“This is now my personal belief. I will have myself injected if there is a certificate from the FDA, the scientists of our country have said that it is safe and it has received a EUA, whatever product that is, wherever it comes from, and scientists have affixed their name and signature there, [I will take it],” Domagoso said. “That’s the key to success to our roadmap to vaccination, to inform properly and to reach as many people as possible.”

Trust experts

Meanwhile, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto is urging his constituents to trust experts in the selection of Covid-19 vaccines

He said the local government does not force its residents to get vaccinated, but they are encouraged to do so, for their own safety.

“Basta approved po ito ng FDA, makakaasa po tayo na ligtas at mabisa ang mga brand na ito. Magtiwala po tayo sa mga dalubhasa sa medical field at kami naman sa lokal na pamahalaan, nandito kami para tulungan at suportahan ang ating (As long as it is approved by the FDA, we are assured that these brands are safe and effective. Let us trust the experts in the medical field and we, at the local government, are here to help and support our) national immunization program,” Sotto said.

In Makati City, Mayor Abigail Binay appealed to her constituents to trust the national government’s efforts to come out with the best Covid-19 vaccination program.

Citing the developments in the government’s vaccine acquisition efforts, Binay said the biggest challenge to proceed is how to convince the people to get vaccinated.

“We have to improve our information dissemination drives and make people understand that the vaccines are good, they are safe, and they will be well taken care of, no matter what,” she said.

Binay assured the city government will double its efforts to encourage more residents to get vaccinated.

In Marikina City, Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said the city government has set aside a local indemnification fund to assist residents who would suffer from severe illness or any adverse effect as a result of administering the Covid-19 jabs.

“In Marikina, we are putting up an indemnification fund or Covid assistance fund in order to build up the trust and confidence of our people,” he said.

Meanwhile, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III have also expressed their readiness to get inoculated with any brand of Covid-19 vaccine to prove to the public that the government’s procured jabs are safe and effective.

Vaccine hesitancy

A Pulse Asia survey from Nov. 23 to Dec. 2 last year found that 47 percent of Filipinos do not want to get vaccinated.

Only 32 percent expressed willingness to receive the vaccine while the remaining 21 percent were still undecided.

The national government is closely working with the local government units (LGUs) to further develop an intensive information campaign on the national vaccination program and convince more people to get immunized to achieve full-herd immunity.

Under the national vaccine roadmap, medical professionals and other healthcare workers are at the top of the government’s priority list for its vaccination program.

It will be followed by indigent senior citizens, remaining senior citizens, and the indigent population. The uniformed personnel will be next for inoculation.

The government expects to acquire 148 million doses of coronavirus vaccines this year.

Galvez earlier said the government is now finalizing all necessary contracts under the supply agreements with pharmaceutical companies by mid-February.

The government targets the “mini-rollout” of the vaccination program 2-3 days after the arrival of the first batch of coronavirus vaccines produced by the Pfizer-BioNtech pharmaceutical firm on Feb. 20.