‘Di pa lahat? Noel Rosal: 90% of Legazpi residents will get COVID-19 vaccine

LEGAZPI CITY – Mayor Noel E. Rosal on Tuesday said at least 90 percent of the residents here would be vaccinated against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), with priority to be given to medical and government front-liners including men and women in uniform, as well as senior citizens and indigents.

In an interview, he also said the city government has reserved for 136,000 doses of vaccine from a supplier based in the United Kingdom (UK).

Rosal said the vaccines that would be used are highly recommended by experts as these are being claimed to have a 92-percent efficacy rate and already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“We are just waiting for the signing of the contract for the pharmaceutical company to supply the vaccine,” he added.

The mayor said the local government would not force anyone to be inoculated but those who would refuse “should sign a waiver”.

Meanwhile, Rosal commended the Liberty Commercial Center (LCC) for offering its facilities to be used for vaccine storage.

He said his administration will allocate PHP200 million to buy the vaccine, adding that he decided to make the purchase from the re-aligned budget in order to protect the health and safety of the city residents.

“In the first place, this money comes from the people. We will spend it for their protection against this Covid-19 pandemic,” Rosal said.

Due to the effective programs and best practices of the city government in curbing the spread of Covid-19, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Department of Health (DOH) have designated Rosal as the regional ambassador for Bicol of the “Bida ang may disiplina solusyon sa Covid-19 campaign” or BIDA Solusyon sa Covid-19.

It is a program of the health agency in coordination with the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) that aims to encourage the people to take an active role in the fight against the virus.

BIDA stands for Bawal walang mask, I-sanitize ang mga kamay, Iwas hawak sa mga bagay, Dumistansya ng isang metro, and Alamin ang totoong impormasyon.

Legazpi’s immediate action in putting up quarantine facilities and isolation areas effectively contained the spread of Covid-19 infection. (PNA)