Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso will not be among the first to get vaccinated as he will stick to the order of the Inter Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to prioritize medical front-liners.
“Ako gustong-gusto ko na talaga magpaturok eh pero hindi ako medical front-liner. Hindi pa ako qualified. We will wait for the IATF’s command kung kailan kami (mayors) pwede na (Personally, I want to be vaccinated as well but I am not qualified yet because the first batch is only for the medical front-liners. We will wait for the IATF’s go signal for us mayors to be vaccinated),” Domagoso said in an interview early Tuesday during the ceremonial vaccination in Manila held at Sta. Ana Hospital.
Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan, also a doctor by profession, and some 200 healthcare workers were among the first to get their first doses of the Sinovac vaccine.
Domagoso also lauded national government officials who consistently promoted the benefits of getting inoculated and helped Manila’s vaccine registry gather more participants.
From 1,200, the number of registrants climbed to 1,900 on Monday, when the vaccine rollout officially started in various hospitals around Metro Manila.
The country’s first shot was administered to Philippine General Hospital director Dr. Gap Legaspi.
“Around 5,000 medical front-liners in Manila from the Manila Health Department and six other hospitals, I am encouraging you to get the protection now. The best protection is the one we already have,” Domagoso said.
Lacuna-Pangan also urged her fellow front-liners to protect themselves and their families.
“Marami na rin ang naghihintay na mabakunhan (Many are waiting for the vaccines) but as front-liners, we are given top priority so grab the opportunity to protect yourselves and your family,” she said.
The vice mayor added that the Department of Health (DOH) has given word that they will replenish their stocks of Sinovac vaccines if they receive more registrations in the coming days.
“We only have 1,400 vaccines now but the DOH said when the demand grows, they will supply us with more,” she said. (PNA)
