Bacolod mayor gets AstraZeneca jab to boost confidence

Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia received his first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to boost public confidence in the brand.

Leonardia, also the national president of the League of Cities of the Philippines, stated he felt morally obligated to take the vaccine after the FDA affirmed its safety and reliability.

He highlighted AstraZeneca's reasonable pricing and "no profit, no loss" commercial stance as contributing factors to his decision.

The Department of Health had previously advised against using the AstraZeneca vaccine for individuals under 60 due to reports of blood clots.

The mayor, aged 68, explained that his decision was also driven by the city government's agreement to purchase 650,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which are anticipated to arrive in July.

This procurement is expected to cover approximately 325,000 individuals, or 78 percent of the city's vaccination target.