CEBU City Mayor Michael “Mike” Rama has echoed the call of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for an extensive vaccination campaign and urged the City Health Department (CHD) to ensure that residents receive their booster shots against the coronavirus disease or Covid-19.Rama said on Sunday, July 17, 2022 that the CHD, through the Vaccination Operations Center, must double its time in rolling out vaccines to students in all levels, from children at nursery level to college students.In a statement, the mayor presented the recent experience of Marcos Jr. who came out from isolation on Friday, July 15, after testing positive for the Covid-19 virus last July 8, as proof that vaccines work.“We now live with Covid in our midst. In fact, this pandemic should now be downgraded as an endemic… Yet, anyone can still get affected. But like in the case of our president, its effect can no longer be severe,” said Rama.In his vlog, Marcos said the symptoms of Covid-19 would be severe if he had not received the vaccine and booster shots.Rama, who is still on leave, has asked acting Mayor Raymond Garcia to ensure that his directive will be carried on.The intensified vaccination campaign is also a way of preparing students for their return to school for face-to-face classes, he added.Rama further said that the heads of families should be responsible for making sure that every household member is protected against the virus.As of July 17, the CHD had fully vaccinated 847,942 individuals in the city and had administered the first booster shot to 161,387 persons.However, only 10,322 persons have availed themselves of the second booster shot.For children aged 12 to 17 years old, 75,614 of the 101,239 registered individuals had received their first dose, while 67,340 had been inoculated for the second dose as of July 17.The city’s pediatric vaccination drive for children aged 5 to 11 years old had inoculated 44,228 individuals for the first dose, while 33,708 individuals had received the second dose.Since the rising number of dengue cases in Central Visayas is also a concern, Rama reminded the heads of the family of their responsibility in ensuring that every member of the family is protected not just against Covid-19 but also against dengue.“Thus, I ask all citizens to be mindful about prevention: secure self-protection; search and destroy breeding places; support indoor and outdoor spraying; and seek early consultation,” Rama said. (IRT, Jeanie Mea Pitor/ CNU Intern)