WATSONS OPENS COVID-19 VACCINE BOOSTER STATION AT SM BAGUIO

January 29, 2022 Headlines

A second vaccination center has been opened within SM City Baguio where some 100 persons were given their booster shots Wednesday during its maiden run.
The Department of Health and the local government of Baguio saw the opening of the Resbakuna sa Botika program of Watsons at its shop at the SM City Baguio Wednesday in an effort to involve all drugstores nationwide to help in urging Filipinos to take their vaccines.
DoH secretary Francisco Duque III led government officials that include Sec. Vivencio Dizon, the Covid-19 Response Deputy Chief Implementer and Department of Health Sec. Bernadette Romulo-Puyat as well as Baguio mayor Benjamin Magalong and Rep. Marques Go in the opening of the Watsons’ Resbakuna sa Botika center at SM.
Duque called the Watsons’ Botika as a good community social responsibility effort as he said that the national government or the local government will not be enough in ending the Covid-19 pandemic and help from the private sector, like Watsons and SM City, is very much needed.
The opening of Watsons Bakuna Wednesday is “timely and is a whole system approach to battle Covid,” said Duque during the short program before the jabbing of 100 locals who came for their booster shots.
“We now call on our people to avail of the booster shots and hopefully all other drug stores like Mercury, Generica and others will join and be access for vaccinations,” said Duque. “Baguio ang una sa lahat.
Una sa tourism (opening), una sa 100 percent (target) vaccinees and now una sa Resbakuna sa Botika (Baguio is always first. First in tourism (opening), first to have 100 percent [target] vaccinate [population] and now first to have its Resbakuna sa Botika),” summed DoT Sec. Romulo-Puyat.
Sec. Dizon, meanwhile, announced that pharmacists involved in vaxxing those who want to be jabbed will be rewarded for their efforts. “Sen. Bong Go has already broached the provision of compensation for volunteer pharmacists with President Rodrigo Duterte who approved it. It is now up to the DoH to implement it,” he said in the vernacular.
Watsons last January 20 launched the first Resbakuna sa Botika project in Pasig City and has since moved out of the National Capital Region and had Baguio as the first stop. It will soon open same in other cities of Metro Manila and other provinces not just of Luzon but also in the Visayas and Mindanao group of islands.
“It is important for government and the private sector to urge people to take the booster shot and vaccine to help end the pandemic,” said Watsons Senior Manager for Operations Health Relations Gemsy Romero.
However, Watsons personnel, especially the pharmacists to provide the jabbing will still undergo training as required by the Philippine Pharmacy Association, the DoH and the local health office, she said.
Romero added that their pharmacists will undergo said training starting also today and during the first day of the Resbakuna sa Botika of Watsons.
She said that not only Baguio personnel but also those from Rosales, Pangasinan are now undertaking the training with DoH and the Baguio City Health Office.
Romero added that they will now start giving booster shots to 100 persons and will hopefully grow in the next days. They will be open also from 10 AM until 5 PM, seven days a week. Also they could open jabbing for all stages.
Pigeon Lobien/ABN