DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said several senior citizens in the city are still not aware how they can register for the Covid-19 vaccination program.
"Ang kadaghanan nga feedback is wala sila nakabalo unsa ila’ng buhaton. Not really nga dili sila gusto magpabakuna but wala sila kabalo kung asa sila magpalista, asa sila padulong, unsa ang ilahang sign-up nga ginatawag, pagpalista nga gitawag (Most feedback I received is that most seniors don’t know how to register. Not that they do not want to be vaccinated, but they don’t know where they could enlist themselves),” Duterte-Carpio said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio on Monday, May 17.
She added, “Dunay kakulangan sa pag (There is a lack of) information dissemination on how to access [their] vaccines."
Another feedback the mayor received is that some seniors are on a "wait-and-see" mode.
"Naa'y mga naga-wait-and-see especially sa atong mga seniors, dunay nag ingon sa akoa nga maghulat sa siya og three weeks. Tan-awon sa niya iyang amiga nga nabakunahan na kung unsay effect [sa ila] (Some people are in a wait-and-see mode, especially our seniors. One even told me that he/she will wait for three weeks to see how his/her friend, who was already vaccinated, is feeling after)," she said.
The mayor said they have received reports of other priority groups wanting to be vaccinated but their category has not yet been opened.
Duterte-Carpio hopes that the city catches up its vaccine rollout with the rising number of cases.
The mayor cited a particular study in Italy, showing that vaccination, even the first dose, has a "great" effect in managing Covid-19 cases.
She added that the more people get vaccinated, the more their cases decreased.
The mayor said the faster the city could achieve herd immunity, the soonest the economy could be revived.
"Ang pinakamaayo siguro para sa tanan natong kaigsuunang Dabawenyo (What we deemed best for our fellow Dabawenyos), the faster we achieve the herd immunity na ginatawag sa isa ka (during the) pandemic, the faster we can open more sa atong siyudad. Kana siya ang mas maayong pag-awhag na magpabakuna (our city. That is the most effect way of encouraging the public to get vaccinated)," the mayor said.
She said the city is targeting to immunize 800,000 to 1.2 million Dabawenyos out of the estimated 1.8 million total population.
How to register?
The Davao City Government, on Monday evening, May 17, posted on its official Facebook page the step-by-step guide for senior citizen vaccination.
Seniors are encouraged to proceed to their nearest barangay health center or district health office for enlistment. They can also call and text the Davao City Covid-19 Vaccination Hotline Numbers: 09610734965 and 09270229087.
After registering, the schedule of vaccination will be determined by the district health office. Seniors are requested to coordinate with their nearest barangay health center and wait for their schedule. Vaccination of seniors will run from May until July 2021.
On their scheduled vaccination day, seniors who are residents or working in the city may be accompanied by one watcher.
There will be strictly no “walk-ins” allowed to maintain the observance of minimum health standards and avoid overcrowding inside vaccination sites.
They are also required to bring their own ballpen, valid ID, own water and snacks, maintenance medications (if any), and medical clearance (only for immunocompromised individuals particularly those with autoimmune disease, HIV, cancer patients currently undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, transplant patients and patients who are bedridden or with a poor prognosis).
As of May 14, the operating hours of the city’s vaccination sites are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for school-based sites, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for mall-based sites.
List of vaccination sites
These are the following vaccination sites:
For first district: Poblacion District (Magallanes Elementary School, F. Dizon Elementary School, and Davao City National High School), Talomo North (SM City Davao Cinema), Talomo Central (Matina Aplaya Elementary School), and Talomo South (A. Mabini Elementary School).
For second district: Agdao (University of Southeastern Philippines, Obrero Campus), Buhangin (Buhangin Central Elementary School), Bunawan (KorPhil Vocational Training Center - Bunawan), Paquibato (Malabog Health Center, and Paquibato District Hospital), and Sasa (SM Lanang Premier Cinema).
For third district: Baguio (Malagos Elementary School), Calinan (Calinan Central Elementary School), Marilog (Marilog District Hospital), Toril (Crossing Bayabas National High School), Tugbok (Mintal Central Elementary School).
For questions about Davao City’s vaccination program, seniors can contact the Davao City Covid-19 vaccination hotlines: 09610734965 and 09270229087.