Puerto Princesa City Mayor Lucilo Bayron announced at the Safety Seal awarding ceremony this afternoon, August 23, at the NCCC Mall Palawan that the city is continuously receiving various COVID-19 vaccines and, with the help of the community, it is possible to reach herd immunity by March 2022.
“This morning we received about 5,000 doses of Moderna. Makakatanggap tayo ng Pfizer, marami pong LGU ang hindi makakatanggap ng Pfizer, because we purchased two freezers na kayang mag-store ng -70 degrees para sa mga Pfizer vaccines. And, [in] a few days time, dadating na ang second shipment ng AstraZeneca, ito ‘yung out of the 200,000 doses that the city government of Puerto Princesa purchased,” says Mayor Bayron.
He also recognizes that vaccine hesitancy is still a main obstacle of the city to reach herd immunity thus asks for the public’s help to convince their families to get inoculated.
“…marami pa sa mga kababayan natin na merong hesitancy to get vaccinated. Siguro, I’d like to request everybody…na pagtulungan natin ito. Kasi ‘yung makukumbinsi natin magpa-vaccinate eh makakatulong sa protection of the entire city… Malayo pa tayo sa herd immunity pero slowly we’re getting there,” Bayron stated.
“So, sa inyong lahat tulungan niyo ang pamahalaang lungsod ng puerto princesa na ma-convince yung kakilala natin, families natin, to get themselves vaccinated.”
Bayron also announced that the city is preparing in case of a COVID-19 Delta variant outbreak, a more infectious variant in terms of susceptibility and transmissibility, and reminds the public that the best way to avoid getting infected is by following the minimum public health standards set by the government.
“Naghahanda tayo para sa event of arrival nitong Delta variant…Kung ‘yung original na COVID na nanggaling sa Wuhan, China ay very infectious, itong Delta variant ay hindi lang very kung ‘di very very very infectious. Mas mabilis siyang makahawa at mas matindi siya kung tumama pati ‘yung mga bata eh naapektuhan niya unlike ‘yung sa Wuhan,” he said.
“So, kailangang paghandaan natin ito and the best way to be ready for this is to always follow ‘yung ating protocols. Ang sabi always treat yung kaharap mo as a [COVID-19] positive individual kaya lagi kang nag-iingat. Maintain natin ‘yung social distancing, face mask, face shield, maghugas ng kamay at mag-alcohol. And, more importantly, magpabakuna tayo,” he added.
On a positive note, Bayron stated that the city may be able to reach the aspired herd immunity by March 2022. And when 70% of the population is inoculated, there is a possibility of reopening the economy.
“Ako, ang estimate ko [ay] hindi tayo aabutin ng March next year na maabot na natin yung herd immunity. ‘Pagka naabot na natin ‘yan, maybe we can start opening ‘yung economy natin,” according to the city mayor.
Currently, the city of Puerto Princesa is vaccinating the A5 category.
“Ngayon ay nasa A5 na tayo in the city of Puerto Princesa, that means andoon na ‘yung others; 18 years old and above basta’t resident ka ng Puerto Princesa [ay] puwede ka nang magpa-vaccine. Punta ka lang sa vaccination center.”
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