SAN FERNANDO CITY, July 12 (PIA) - - San Fernando City, La Union has started the vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) of residents and workers under the Priority Group A4.

Individuals considered in the A4 priority category are frontline personnel in essential sectors, including uniformed personnel.

Eden Sicat, city information officer, said this development came after the Department of Health Ilocos Center for Health Development (DOH CHD-1) granted the city government permission to begin inoculating individuals from the A4 priority group.

“City Mayor Hermenegildo Gualberto formally requested from the DOH CHD-1 to allow A4 vaccination roll-out due to the surge of COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks wherein 61 percent of the total active cases come from the 21-50 age bracket which is the working age,” she said

The City Vaccination Task Force (CVTF) recorded a total of 564 A4 vaccinees since the roll-out held at the Saint Louis College, this city, on July 10.

More so, the Task Force said the vaccinees laud the smooth process of getting the COVID-19 vaccine which only took them 35 to 45 minutes.

As per their latest data, there are already more than 4,600 A4 individuals who are registered in San Fernando's online vaccine registration at http://vaccine.sanfernandocity.gov.ph/.

However, they stressed that the city continues to vaccinate individuals under the A1-A3 priority groups which include medical frontliners as well as their immediate families, Overseas Filipino Workers for deployment in the next four months, senior citizens, and individuals with comorbidities.

Eligible population from A1 to A4 follow the same steps to be inoculated.

“They have to register online or through their barangay focal person. After which, they will receive a confirmation text on their schedule. They only have to bring the necessary requirements on their scheduled date,” Medical Officer III Mary Marjorie F. Rodavia, CVTF lead, said.

The city’s next vaccination schedule for Priority Groups A1-A3 will be on July 12 and July 16 at Saint Louis College and another schedule for A1-A4 categories will be on July 13 at Poro Covered Court.  Vaccination is from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Dr. Rodavia added that the city hopes to receive another batch of COVID-19 vaccines from the DOH CHD1 allocated for A1 to A4 groups in the next two days.

“We would like to reiterate that we only allow walk-ins for the A2 priority group,” Dr. Rodavia said.

As of July 12, the city has vaccinated a total of 15,348 residents and workers of which 12,795 received the first dose while 2,553 are fully vaccinated. (JCR/VHS/JPD, PIA La Union)