Residents of Parañaque queue inside the Ayala Mall Manila Bay in Parañaque City on May 17, 2021 to receive their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine Pfizer. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News
MANILA—Parañaque City will resume first dose jabs mid-July, as vaccine supply in Metro Manila dwindle, Mayor Edwin Olivarez said.
The cities of Parañaque, Manila, Makati, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela and Las Piñas earlier said their first dose vaccine supplies have run out.
Parañaque continues to administer second doses of COVID-19 vaccines, according to Olivarez.
"Based sa communication ng DOH (Department of Health) darating po ang bakuna natin second and third week of July. So inaasahan po natin mid of July makakapagumpisa po tayo ulit ng pagbabakuna," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.
(Based on the DOH's communication, vaccines will arrive on the second and third weeks of July. We expect to resume first dose vaccination mid of July.
"Mataas po ang (vaccine) confidence at talagang naghihintay sila ng first dose."
(Vaccine confidence here is high and they readily await the first dose.)
The city has so far administered 200,000 first doses and 65,000 second doses, Olivarez said.
The mayor also assured that those who received Sputnik COVID-19 jabs would get their second dose.
"Puwede po i-extend (ang interval) kaya 'wag po mabahala ang ating first dose. Inaasahan po natin ang mga second dose ng sputnik, mabibigyan po sila," Olivarez added.
The city has 200 active COVID-19 cases in 16 barangays, Olivarez said.
PATEROS RESUMES FIRST DOSE INOCULATION
Pateros, the lone municipality in the capital region, will resume first dose vaccination on Wednesday, according to mayor Miguel "Ike" Ponce III.
Pateros suspended first dose jabs mid-Monday due to a lack of supply, he said.
"Ngayong araw na ito simula na naman kami ng first dose dahil meron kaming Sputnik vaccine. May assurance naman na may second dose na darating," he said.
(Today we'll resume first dose vaccination because we have a supply of Sputnik vaccine. There's assurance that second doses will arrive.)
The town has so far immunized 35,015 residents or 71.46 percent of its eligible population, the mayor said.
"Nu'ng una medyo po may reluctance sila, ngayon medyo nagagalit na po sila. Katulad nu'ng Monday nu'ng kami ay nagpauwi. Talagang nagagalit. Gustong-gusto na mabakunahan ang mga residente namin. Ang medyo kinukumbinsi namin ay mga senior citizens," he said.
(At first, the residents were reluctant. Now they get mad at us like when we told them to go home last Monday. They really want to get vaccinated. Senior citizens still need convincing.)
Pateros will offer free tricycle rides to vaccination sites for senior citizens, Ponce added.
The Philippines aims to inoculate 58 million Filipinos in Metro Manila and 8 other key economic hubs by yearend to achieve population protection against COVID-19.
The DOH said it aims to vaccinate at least 108,000 people a day in Metro Manila, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga, Rizal, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao as more shots arrive.
The country has so far administered some 12 million coronavirus vaccine jabs, including 1 million doses in the past 4 days alone, the National Task Force Against COVID-19 said on Tuesday.
Authorities expect to receive at least 1 million more jabs this week, Malacañang earlier said.
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