By Christine Fabro
Taguig City and its Mayor Lino Cayetano’s efforts on having an efficient vaccination rollout in the city was commended by the World Health Organization (WHO) Philippine Office on Monday (May 17) after a symbolic vaccination at the Lakeshore Mega Vaccination Hub.
Over 7,020 vaccine doses were handed over to the city government which came from the first 193,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech that the country has received from the American pharmaceutical company.
In a news statement, the head of WHO Philippine Office Dr. Dabindra Abeyasinghe hailed Taguig’s “extensive preparation and attention to detail” in planning and executing its COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
Abeyasinghe also emphasized the city’s establishment of a training center, where medical experts and practitioners undergo a seminar on proper handling of COVID-19 vaccines.
COVID-19 Response Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. also expressed his positive impressions and lauded Taguig’s continuous innovations in its COVID-19 response.
The city has recently launched the Park ‘N Test testing option and Vaccination Bus which will cater those who are in the vaccination priority list yet are unable to go to the vaccination hubs to get their COVID-19 jabs.
Taguig has already vaccinated a total of 49,636 individuals belonging to the Priority Groups A1, A2, and A3 in accordance with the prioritization list of the Department of Health.
According to the news statement, Testing Czar Secretary Vince Dizon, Health Assistant Secretary Elmer Punzalan, Metro Manila Centers for Health Development Director Gloria Balboa, representatives from United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and representatives from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) attended the symbolic vaccination. –rir
