CATBALOGAN CITY-Senior citizens in this city are being prioritized by the City Health Office for the flu shot and pneumococcal vaccine.
Mayor Stephanie Uy-Tan earlier issued an order giving the city’s senior citizens needed medicines as they are the most vulnerable to acquire illnesses.
“When a person is getting older, immunity also gets weaker. That is why these vaccines are very important to prevent senior citizens from getting sick,” Aaron Jay Macabare, nurse in-charge for the vaccination, said.
The City Health Office provides the medicines thrice a week or every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
The pneumococcal vaccine comprises two doses: senior citizens aged 60 years old will be given the first dose and will receive the second dose after a 5-year interval.
On the other hand, senior citizens 65 years old and above will receive one dose of the pneumococcal vaccine.
For flu vaccine, senior citizens must have it every year.
The program is offered to senior citizens provided that they have no allergies to egg and chicken, no active infection like cough or colds, and not immunocompromised.
“If they have allergies, we don’t inject them with the vaccine because it may trigger to allergic reactions,” Macabare said.
The services provided to senior citizens are one of the priority health programs of city government under Mayor Uy-Tan in improving the health conditions of the city’s residents.
“To ensure that more residents of this city will benefit the health programs, we are coming up with plans of establishing more health centers and of having an infirmary clinics,” Uy-Tan said.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)