Covid info session held

TRUE TO her promise to also prioritize those under the A4 category of the government’s mass vaccination program, Mayor Beng Climaco has started the virtual information drive for food delivery riders here in preparation for the inoculation against Covid-19.

Covid info sessions for Food Panda delivery crew. (Jasmine Mohammadsali)

Over two dozen food delivery riders from Food Panda had joined a recent virtual session conducted by the City Health Office, the Public Information and Computer Services of the City Mayor’s Office, and the Philippine Information Agency. 

Those under the A4 are frontline personnel in essential sectors, including food service delivery providers. The session provided information about all aspects of the vaccination program. It also answered all questions posed by the participants with regards to schedules, prioritization, possible side effects, and other vaccination concerns. 

The Food Panda team headed by its manager Jan Guillo expressed their gratitude to the local government for including and prioritizing food riders in the information sessions. 

Climaco said more information sessions are being planned to engage with other food delivery service groups and organizations here. The information drive is an ongoing support initiative which seeks to provide accurate and correct information about the vaccination program. 

Since early this year, the local government has conducted dozens of online sessions with various groups, including the barangay leaders and health workers, media, religious sectors, indigenous peoples, the youth and the Sanguniang Kabataan, senior citizens, and teachers. 

Climaco is strongly urging the national government to include local essential workers and uniformed personnel under the A4 priority list in the mass vaccination program to protect them from the deadly respiratory disease. 

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) has begun inoculating those in the National Capital Region and even expanded A4 priority list to include those who work outside their homes and have high levels of interaction with the public. 

To help jumpstart the safe reopening of the economy, A4 vaccination will also start in areas with dense economic activity and high risk of exposure to Covid-19 such as the National Capital Region – the Metropolitan Manila area, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Cebu province and Metro Davao, which includes the cities of Davao; Digos in Davao del Sur province; Tagum, Panabo and Samal in Davao del Norte province.

Those who were vaccinated under the A4 priority list were call center employees, travel guides, tricycle drivers, household staffs, SM Supermalls personnel, representatives from the entertainment sector, drivers, teachers, government workers, fast food crew workers, food delivery riders, and news reporters from the Malacanang Press Corps.

But Zamboanga City, not even Region 9 or Zamboanga Peninsula in Western Mindanao was included in the A4 priority list despite the high number of Covid-19 cases.

In her request to the IATF-MEID, Climaco said: “Hinihiling po namin na masagawa na po ang pagbukas ng A4 priority category (sa Zamboanga).” And at the same, the mayor thanked President Rodrigo Duterte and members of the IATF-MEID for prioritizing Zamboanga City in the allocation of vaccines.

Climaco said the mass vaccination in Zamboanga City continues and urged residents to register online through - zambocovax.com – or to the nearest barangay health centers.

More than 75,000 residents, mostly medical frontliners and healthcare workers and those with comorbidity or other illnesses, had been inoculated so far. (Zamboanga Post, Jasmine Mohammadsali)

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