Free pneumonia vaccine for Marikina seniors

As lung diseases become rampant during the rainy season, the city government of Marikina through the City Health Office and the Office for Senior Citizens' Affairs will provide free pneumonia vaccination for the senior citizens of Marikina.

This project will start on July 2, Monday, during the city governments' weekly flag-raising ceremony where chairmen of senior citizen offices in each of the 16 barangays in the city will be the first to receive the vaccination. The said project shall then be implemented in the 16 barangays of the city where free pneumonia vaccinations are scheduled from July 2 to July 13.

The city government allotted an estimated PhP6M to provide 6,000 pneumonia vaccines for the elderly Marikeños. According to Mayor Del De Guzman, the local government delivers the project this July as lung diseases are common during the rainy season.

"Pneumonia vaccines cost more than PhP 1,000 in private hospitals and clinics. So to help our senior citizens coming from the marginalized sector, we provided them with these vaccines," De Guzman said.

The recipients were chosen by the senior citizens' offices in each barangay and were asked to fill up an adult vaccination card. Recipients are then asked to bring their adult vaccination cards and a valid senior citizens' ID during vaccination. "The effectivity of the vaccines lasts for five years.

We are planning to have this project again next year but for a different set of senior citizens," said Rodolfo De Guzman, Officer-in-Charge of the OSCA. - marikina.gov.ph — ARA