Mallgoers will now get their booster shots in a pharmacy as the Department of Health and the city government of Baguio launched the “Resbakuna sa Botika” program at Watsons pharmacy at SM Baguio on Jan. 26.
Around 100 individuals were vaccinated during the event.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who graced the event, said the program, which was launched in select drugstores in the National Capital Region on Jan. 20, was expanded in Baguio to cater to more individuals to get vaccinated.
Duque said Baguio is the first local government unit outside of NCR to implement the program, which taps pharmacies with presence in malls and other areas frequented by people, as vaccination sites.
The program would only cater to individuals needing booster shots. The different pharmacies may soon be a primary dose giver, for first and second doses, depending on their evaluation by the DOH.
Watsons Senior Manager for Operations Health Relations Gemsy Romero said individuals getting their booster shots will still need to register at the bakuna.baguio.gov.ph prior to getting their jabs.
“They would then be referred where to specifically get their booster shots, either here in Watsons or at the SM vaccination site which caters to all kinds of doses,” Romero said.
Romero said Watsons will cater to A1 (workers in frontline health services), A4 (frontline personnel in essential sectors, including uniformed personnel), A5 (indigent population), and the rest of the population.
The pharmacy is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Sunday and the city will supply the vaccines to Watsons.
The pilot rollout of the program was earlier conducted at Mercury Drug, Watsons, Rose Pharmacy, Southstar Drug, Generika, and other clinics like Healthway and QualiMed in NCR.
National Task Force for Covid Response Deputy Implementer Secretary Vince Dizon, who also graced the event, said the program will be expanded to other pharmacies around the country.
City officials led by Mayor Benjamin Magalong and Rep. Mark Go and Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat attended the launching ceremony.
Fully vaccinated individuals are allowed to receive their booster shots at least three months after the second dose of a primary two-dose vaccine or at least two months after the primary single-dose vaccine is given. – Ofelia C. Empian
April 18, 2024
