The Zamboanga City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council [ZCDRRMC] chaired by Mayor John Dalipe has passed a resolution, encouraging once again the city government employees and their families to get vaccinated for booster shots against Covid-19.

The resolution was approved during the council’s second quarter meeting Tuesday afternoon, during which the City Health Office reported a low percentage of city government employees having availed of the booster jabs.

The renewed call for booster shots came on the heels of CHO’s report that the city has registered 174 new Covid-19 cases, of which 54 were active cases—14 were asymptomatic, 33 mild, and 7 moderate.

Further, 87 of the new cases have been fully vaccinated, 87 were partially vaccinated, 36 had first booster and 16 had second booster.

Thus, the renewed call for LGU employees to get booster shots. Like before, Mayor Dalipe will give 5-kilo rice to employees getting booster shot at the CHO.

In another development, the ZCDRRMC under Dalipe’s leadership also took cognizance of the possible sectoral impacts of El Niño as earlier pronounced by the Department of Interior and Local Government [DILG] based on the forecast of the PAG-ASA.

Mayor Dalipe assured that the city government will fully comply with DILG’s memorandum circular, directing all LGUs to prepare and mitigate the effects of El Niño.

Specifically, the DILG circular warned that during El Niño the agriculture sector will suffer from decline in soil moisture availability, the decline in crop production due to delayed onset of the rainy season and increase in pests and diseases.

There will also be fish kills and red tide; increase in water-borne disease, such as cholera due to scarcity of water; increase in vector-borne disease outbreak, such as malaria and dengue; and increase in number of people affected by infectious diseases, such as measles and meningitis, especially in humanitarian situation. The circular was aimed at alerting the LGUs to mitigate and prepare for the ongoing and potential adverse effects of El Niño, notwithstanding, the tropical storm Betty in Luzun.-[Vic Larato]