ZAMBOANGA CITY has fully vaccinated at least 191,000 or 28% of its target eligible population of nearly 700,000 and is pursuing to inoculate 19,000 residents daily as soon as the vaccines against COVID-19 is available, according to Mayor Beng Climaco.
Climaco said the City Health Office also inoculated nearly 300,000 residents – their first jab and this is expected to further increase as the local government started its pediatric vaccination last month in at least seven hospitals.
With the aggressive vaccination program, the mayor expressed optimism that the local government may be able to achieve 50% herd immunity before end of the year following assurances from the Department of Health and the National Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Infectious Diseases to send more COVID-19 vaccines in the coming weeks.
Climaco said ramping up vaccination will boost plans to reopen the city to the “new normal” by relaxing some of the quarantine restrictions and medical requirements from travellers entering Zamboanga such as the RT-PCR tests for fully vaccinated individuals.
She said children may also be allowed to visit public parks and engage in other recreational activities, if and when the city achieves a vaccination status of 50% or more. “This is our goal and this is our objective by the month of December, but the public must fully cooperate with the authorities and strictly follow health protocols,” Climaco said.
City Health Officer Dr. Dulce
Miravite said the local government is also mulling the possibility of
conducting mobile vaccination in strategic locations and is considering hiring
more health workers and vaccinators to speed up the mass vaccination program.
(Zamboanga Post)
