City vaccinates more than 6,000 minors vs COVID

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Up to 6,426 minors aged 12 to 17 have received their first dose of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine in the onset of its implementation, according to the Iloilo City government.

On Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021, the City Vaccination Team administered 2,758 COVID-19 vaccines in three sites – Ateneo De Iloilo (810), Iloilo Convention Center (976), and University of San Agustin (1,002).

On Tuesday, Nov. 2, the first day of the full implementation of inoculations for the said age group, 3,538 vaccines were administered in five sites – Festive Mall Transport Hub (654), SM City Iloilo (971), Robinsons Jaro (864), University of San Agustin (480), and Ateneo De Iloilo (570).

The number also includes the 130 minors who received their first COVID jabs during the pilot vaccination at the St. Paul’s Hospital on Oct 29.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas told Daily Guardian via Viber that he hopes to administer up to 50,000 minors in the city by end-November.

Treñas also hoped to provide vaccine booster shots to medical frontliners, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities, as well as vaccines for minors aged 5 to 11 years old by December, “so that everything would get back to normal by January [2022].”

In a press statement, the mayor urged parents and guardians, school officials, parent-teachers associations, and barangay officials to get minors vaccinated.

He added that he would also vaccinate non-resident minors studying in the city, as well as children of non-residents who work in the city.

In addition to their birth certificates, students just need to show their IDs, while workers’ children need to show their parents’ employee IDs.

“We need to give them protection so that they will be ready for face-to-face education. The city will do its utmost to make vaccination easy for everyone,” the mayor said in his statement.