More getting booster shots as cases soar amid Omicron threat

Individuals getting anti-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) booster doses continued to increase in the city as cases reached new record high on Jan. 13 amid a fresh wave believed to be caused by the highly transmissible omicron variant.

Asst. City Health Officer Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes said the City Health Service Office a total of 4,230 were administered booster shots on Jan. 13, the highest since its rollout on Nov. 16.

This upped the total of boosted individuals to 55,530.

Brillantes said demand for booster shots started to pick up last Jan. 6 where the city administered a total of 3,951 shots and rose further on the following day, Jan. 7 at 4,142 bringing the total of those boosted to 41,312.

Since Jan. 3, vaccine sites had been observed to be packing people, most of whom held back from taking the shots during the holidays.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong said, “This only validates that vaccine acceptability in Baguio is high coupled with the fact that they believe vaccines will protect them from omicron.”

“People are becoming aware of the benefits of boosters.   We just have to sustain the supply,” he said.

COVID-19 cases in the city have increased sharply in the past days.  From 64 active cases last Jan. 1, the city as of Jan. 13 has 2,082 patients as the city posted a new record high of 516 cases in one day.

The city has not officially registered an omicron variant case as of Jan. 14 but the mayor said all indications point to its presence now in the city. – Aileen P. Refuerzo