Hundreds of tricycle drivers and representatives from the economic workforce, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), received the first dose of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines during the Quezon City government’s commemoration of Labor Day.
“Ito’y pagkilala natin sa kabayanihan ng ating mga manggagawa na walang pagod na nagtatrabaho sa gitna ng pandemya na ating nararanasan,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said during the event.
According to Belmonte, the workers who belong to the A4 priority list of the DOH were already pre-registered before they were inoculated with the Sinovac vaccine.
“Ang mga binakunahan ngayong araw ay pre-registered na sa pamamagitan ng barangay-assisted booking scheme,” she explained.
Tricycle drivers who were vaccinated also received food packs from the city government.
Earlier, the Quezon City government, the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) held a symbolic vaccination for workers.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque led the symbolic inoculation with Belmonte, DOH Assistant Secretary Elmer Punzalan, and DOH-NCR Regional Director Gloria Balboa witnessing the event.
Meanwhile, Belmonte also led the launching of the drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination to make the inoculation faster, especially for drivers of public utility vehicles such as tricycles.
“Ang layunin nito ay mapabilis ang proseso. Bumibiyahe ang mga TODA natin kaya gusto namin na gawing mas convenient para sa kanila ang pagbabakuna. Hindi na nila kailangan pumarada at bumaba pa sa kanilang mga tricycle”, Belmonte said.
Quezon City Health Department head Dr. Esperanza Arias said the drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination will be activated once the city government receives the go-signal for the inoculation of individuals belonging to the A4 priority group, which includes transportation workers, market vendors and overseas Filipino workers, among others.
Meanwhile, Arias reminded QC residents that walk-ins are not accepted in vaccination sites due to the limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines.
“It would be better to wait for the official announcement from the city government for the vaccination schedule,” she said.
The city government also temporarily stopped accepting online booking via eZconsult website for the first dose of COVID-19 pending an advisory from the city government regarding its resumption since the supply received by the city from the national government’s latest shipment is limited.
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