Iloilo City mayor targets vaccinating 50,000 minors in November

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas hopes they can vaccinate at least 50,000 minors by the end of November.

Since vaccinations for minors was approved, the city has already administered 6,439 first doses of COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 12 to 17 years old.

Treñas told Rappler via text message on Thursday, November 4, that aside from wanting to vaccinate many minors this month, he also hopes to provide booster shots and vaccinate those aged 5 to 11 years old by December.

The mayor said he is pushing for this “so we can get back to normal by January [2022].”

He had previously said he wants to give booster shots to medical frontliners, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities.

In a statement on Thursday, November 4, the mayor called on parents, guardians, schools, parent-teacher associations, and barangay officials to help get the minors vaccinated.

He had said this will ultimately lead to the return of face-to-face classes in the city.

“We have vaccinated a total of 6,439 minors in Iloilo City vax centers. I call on parents, school heads, guardians, PTA officers, and barangay officials to get our minors vaccinated. 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,” Treñas said in his statement.

He also added that the city government will also vaccinate non-resident minors, as well as children of those working in the city.

Workers accompanying their children must only show their IDs as well as their children’s birth certificate.

“We will vaccinate minors who are city residents, studying here even if not city residents, and children of non-city residents but working here in the city,” he added.

The current vaccination tally for minors aged 12 to 17 includes the 130 from the pilot on October 29, 3,538 from November 2, and 2,758 from November 3. 

Vaccination for minors on Thursday, November 4, will be done at Ateneo de Iloilo, University of San Agustin, Iloilo Convention Center, and Megaworld Transport Hub.

For Friday, November 5, it will be done at SM City Iloilo and Megaworld Transport Hub.

Those who wish to get vaccinated can walk in, accompanied by their parents or guardians, and show their IDs and/or birth certificates as requirements. – Rappler.com

Joseph B.A. Marzan is a Visayas-based journalist and is a recipient of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship.