To achieve herd immunity, the Parañaque City government targets to inoculate at least 5,000 residents daily, once a steady supply of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine becomes available.

Mayor Edwin Olivarez said on Tuesday 5,000 vaccinees every day for a month will mean 150,000 getting initial protection.

“In six months, that’s 900,000. Kuha na natin po and (we can get) herd immunity until November,” Olivarez said in an interview during the initial rollout of Sputnik V vaccines at Ayala Malls Manila Bay.

Parañaque has a population of 666,000 as of the 2015 census.

Herd immunity or population immunity, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is the indirect protection from an infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through the previous infection.

The percentage that must be vaccinated varies depending on the disease. As Covid-19 is new, WHO said the proportion of the population that must be vaccinated to begin inducing herd immunity is not known.

“This is an important area of research and will likely vary according to the community, the vaccine, the populations prioritized for vaccination, and other factors,” WHO said last year.

Almost 100 percent of the city’s healthcare workers are already vaccinated, Olivarez said.

“Matatapos na tayo sa healthcare workers natin. Iilan- ilan na lang ang naiiwanan (We are about to finish in our healthcare workers. Only a few are left),” he said.

Some 15,000 out of the city’s targeted 61,000 senior citizens have also been inoculated while 10,000 out of targeted 35,000 persons with comorbidities have received their first doses.

Parañaque is among the five cities in Metro Manila, the others being Taguig, Makati, Muntinlupa, and Manila, picked to pilot the initial 15,000 doses of the Russian-made jabs which arrived in the country on May 1.

The mini-rollout of the Sputnik V jabs is a huge help in training the city government on handling sensitive Covid-19 vaccines, Olivarez said.

“When the Pfizer vaccine arrives, it has the same handling method as Sputnik V,” he said.

Parañaque partnered with Zuellig Pharmaceutical firm for vaccine logistical needs such as cold-chain facility, refrigerators, and container vans for transportation to vaccination centers.

He also lauded the opening of vaccination hubs in malls as it will hasten the government’s vaccination program and promote public-private partnerships. (PNA)