Thousands rush for jabs ahead of Manila lockdown

Filipinos waiting to be vaccinated against Covid-19 gather outside a mall in Manila yesterday.

Chaos overtook several Covid-19 vaccination sites in Manila yesterday as thousands showed up hoping to receive a shot before the Philippines capital heads back into lockdown for two weeks. Movement restrictions were reimposed across greater Manila, an urban sprawl of 16 cities that is home to 13mn people, from midnight to try slow the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant. The nearby province of Laguna, and the cities of Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro in the central and southern Philippines, respectively, were also placed on lockdown, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement, as health facilities were overwhelmed. Maricel Bacay, a 59-year-old homemaker, had been queueing outside a mall in Antipolo city in Rizal, one of those neighbouring provinces, at 3am yesterday to try beat anticipated crowds. “There was news that you can’t get inside the malls or supermarket if you’re not vaccinated,” Bacay said. Photos on social media showed people jostling each other to be the first in line at vaccination centres, prompting police intervention to enforce social distancing rules. Ofelia Gonzales, 36, a Manila food vendor, missed the cut-off for a vaccine despite queuing since Wednesday night. “If they keep extending the lockdown, who will provide meals if we can’t get out,” she said. With around 1.6mn Covid-19 cases and more than 28,000 deaths, the Philippines has the second-worst coronavirus outbreak in Southeast Asia after Indonesia. Just 10.3mn people, or 9.3% of the Philippines’ 110mn population, have been fully vaccinated. The government target is to immunise up to 70mn people this year. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to arrest people who do not get a vaccine. Last month, he ordered village chiefs to prevent those in their communities who refuse to be vaccinated from leaving home. Roque said authorised people, including those buying essential goods, travelling for medical reasons and frontline workers, would be allowed unrestricted movement under the lockdown, even if unvaccinated. “Let us not make vaccination a superspreader,” Roque told a media briefing. “It should save lives, not endanger lives.”