MABALACAT CITY— This component city in Pampanga continues to exhibit the highest vaccination coverage among local government units in Central Luzon.
In a letter sent by the Department of the Interior and Local Government – Central Luzon (DILG-R3), Mabalacat City along with other local government units with high inoculation coverage, were invited to submit a documented report on their vaccination best practices.
In a supplementary attachment, records show that Mabalacat City has already vaccinated 96.06% (first dose immunity) and 78.68% (full dose immunity) of its 198,001 target population. The highest in Central Luzon.
For his part, Mabalacat Mayor Crisostomo Garbo cited the collective efforts of the LGU, the city council, CRIS program, medical frontliners, and officials in the barangay level in expediting the vaccination drive in the city.
Earlier, Secretary Vince Dizon, National Task Force Against COVID-19 deputy chief implementer and testing czar, cited efforts of Mabalacat City in helping curb the spread of COVID-19 through vaccination.
Mayor Garbo furthered that with the continued arrival of vaccine supplies and regular administration of the said doses, Mabalacat City will achieve herd immunity by November 15.
With this outcome, the city mayor reiterated his willingness to assist neighboring municipalities and cities in the inoculation of their target number of residents, which he vowed earlier during his interview with the Capampangan in Media Incorporated (CAMI) held last October.
As of this writing, active cases in the city have already declined to 22 from the whopping 629 cases in August and 268 cases in September. The city also sees a steady reduction in the daily COVID-19 infection rate to 0.3%.
The city has also started its Pediatric Vaccination Program for eligible populations aged 12 to 17 years old.