Taguig: Around 120,000 senior citizens in Taguig City will receive free flu vaccines in all 38 barangays starting Monday. "This is the first city-wide, fully implemented, and fully funded by the local government to vaccinate our senior citizens against the flu," Mayor Lani Cayetano said during the mass inoculation program held at the Taguig Center for the Elderly in Barangay North Signal.

According to Philippines News Agency, the vaccine was procured by the local government using taxpayer funds. "We are thankful as a city that we are able to finance a program rollout as massive as this," Cayetano said, adding they are hoping to reach 115,000 to 120,000 senior citizens with the program.

Cayetano also cited the possibility of a house-to-house vaccination rollout for bedridden senior citizens and those unable to travel to designated vaccination sites. "Our vaccination team will go to them personally and there, at their homes, they will be vaccinated," she said.

The city selected Abbott Pharmaceuticals' "Influvac Tetra Quadrivalent," which Cayetano said is the latest flu vaccine available. "This is a well-known vaccine -a well-known vaccine that is given in private clinics and hospitals," Cayetano said.

Cayetano said the choice of vaccine was carefully studied by the City Council and the City Health Office because "we cannot just choose a vaccine that is not credible or not a respectable brand." "We are confident that this brand and this vaccine are safe and scientifically proven to really help our senior citizens," she added.

The vaccination rollout will run for two weeks or before June.