Governor Daniel R. Fernando called on parents to get their eligible children inoculated as the “Resbakuna Kids” vaccination program against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) was launched at the Hiyas ng Bulacan Convention Center here on Wednesday.
Fernando, who led the event, together with vaccine czar and National Task Force Against Covid-19 Chief Implementer, Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., said the vaccines are safe and offer effective protection against the dreaded disease.
“Dama ko ang pangamba ng mga magulang para sa kanilang mga anak pero wala kayong dapat ipag-alala (I feel the concern of the parents for their children but there is nothing to worry about). All vaccines are safe and effective and endorsed by the Philippine Pediatric Society,” Fernando said during the ceremonial vaccination for children 5-11 years old.
Galvez assured the parents of the vaccines’ safety and said these have undergone intense study by the experts.
He said that according to President Rodrigo Duterte during their recent meeting, it is important to vaccinate children for they constitute the next generation of Filipinos.
“Paigtingin pa natin ang paghihikayat sa mga magulang na pabakunahan ang kanilang mga anak at salamat sa kanilang desisyon. Kung mahal mo ang bayan mo, pamilya mo, magpabakuna na kayo (Let us intensify our efforts in encouraging parents to have their children vaccinated and thank you for their decision. If you love your nation, your family, let us be vaccinated),” Galvez added.
Department of Health (DO) Regional Director Dr. Corazon Flores, meanwhile, said the Covid-19 vaccine is an important gift that parents can give to their children so that they can enjoy their childhood and return to school safely.
“Dahil mahal natin ang ating mga anak, bakuna ang tanging proteksyon laban sa Covid-19 (Because we love our children, vaccination is the only protection against Covid-19),” Flores added.
The DOH provided an initial 2,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine for the province which has a total of 476,636 children aged 5-11 years old.
Fernando again asked his constituents to take part in the vaccination rollout, noting that the province is within reach of achieving population protection against Covid-19.
As of January 28, the province of Bulacan has administered a total of 4,320,648 doses of vaccines.
Of these figures, a total of 1,999,692 Bulakenyos are fully vaccinated, 2,017,890 have received their first dose, while 303,066 already had their booster shots.
Fernando also reminded the Bulakenyos to continuously comply with the security and health protocols in order to prevent the transmission of the virus.
“Patuloy tayong mag-ingat, patuloy na sumunod sa mga inilatag na health protocols upang mapangalagaan natin hindi lamang ang ating mga sarili kundi maging ang ating mga mahal sa buhay lalo na yung mga hindi pa puedeng mabakunahan dahil may mga dinaramdam (Let us continue to take caution. Let us continue to follow the health protocols in order to protect not only ourselves but also our loved ones, especially those who are not yet eligible to get vaccinated due to their sickness),” he added.
As of February 8, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the province is 108,563 with 1,604 active cases.
The total number of recoveries is 105,409 while the total number of deaths is 1,550.
Source: Philippines News Agency