BACOLOD City – Nursing students, faculty of nursing schools and their family members are now included in the city government’s priority list for vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“Since our nursing students will eventually become frontliners in the fight against COVID-19 and other emerging health concerns, it is imperative that they get vaccinated now,” said Mayor Evelio Leonardia.
“We want to keep our communities safe as well as our loved ones,” he added.
Meanwhile, City Administrator Em Ang said vaccination against COVID-19 “is what we have been waiting for a long time.”
“Our target is to achieve this (“herd immunity”) by the end of this year, so we can all celebrate Christmas,” said Ang, also the executive director of the Emergency Operations Center-Task Force (EOC-TF) and COVID-19 Vaccination Council (CoVaC) here.
CoVaC is also planning to open around 33 vaccination centers in this city.
“CoVaC will then accept volunteers from allied health colleges as part of their exposure to public health work,” Ang added.
These students, according to Ang, may play “another crucial role” – taking vital signs and attending to other health needs of vaccinees.
Leonardia, meanwhile, said the nurses are indispensable especially during the pandemic.
“Your sense of volunteerism will be of much help to hasten our vaccination drive…Everybody must help each other here, because it’s our only way out,” he said./PN
