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Mayor Belmonte orders vaccination of employees in closed, long-term facilities

September 23, 2021 Cory Martinez 379 views

IN view of the numerous reports of COVID-19 transmissions in closed and long-term facilities in Quezon City, Mayor Joy Belmonte has ordered the vaccination of all individuals residing and working in said facilities.

Belmonte issued the order to the city health department (CHD) after receiving report from the City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (QCESU) that out of the total 1,027 employees and clients in said facilities, 594 of them have yet to receive a first dose of COVID vaccine.

QCESU chief Dr. Rolando Cruz reported to Belmonte that there are 13 of these facilities in the city which include orphanages, home care facilities, apostolate centers, and rehabilitation centers among others.

“We are working closely with the city’s vaccination team so inoculation can be done at the soonest possible time,” Cruz said.

Meanwhile, Belmonte confirmed that she has received reports from media outlets about the passing of some nuns from the Religious of the Virgin Mary in Cubao.

“On behalf of the city government, I would like to express my sincerest condolences to the whole RVM community for losing some of their sisters to COVID,” said Belmonte.

She added that the city has yet to receive official information from the religious facility itself, but she assured that the local government remains committed to extending assistance and support to all closed and long-term care facilities in the city “to control infection and to prevent deaths from possible future outbreaks”.

Belmonte has also tasked the Department of the Building Official, Department of the City Architect, and City Engineering Department to issue guidelines improving the infectious disease resiliency of these facilities through better ventilation among others.

She said this will help building administrators of closed and long-term care facilities retrofit their buildings and reduce COVID transmission.

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