More than 75% of tourism workers fully vaxxed

MANILA, Philippines — At least 75.39 percent of all active tourism workers in the country have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) said 236,714 tourism workers have received two shots as of Friday, with those in key destination areas hitting 100 percent.

“Our vaccination rollout for active tourism workers started in July 2021. Having achieved high vaccination rates in most of our destinations, we are focusing our efforts on the few remaining places with low inoculation numbers,” Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said.

DOT records show that Metro Manila has vaccinated 99.79 percent of its tourism workers; Davao, 99.11 percent; Cordillera Administrative Region, 96.79 percent, Central Luzon, 95.10 percent, and Eastern Visayas, 90.55 percent.

The DOT said the National Vaccination Day from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 would focus on tourism workers in Ilocos, Calabarzon and Caraga, which had a vaccination rate of only 67.21 percent, 42.70 percent and 30.43 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, the military’s Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) mobilized its air assets to transport COVID vaccines to Sulu on Friday in preparation for the National Vaccination Day.

The vaccines were transported by a commercial flight to Zamboanga City and picked up by representatives of the Ministry of Health in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and soldiers belonging to the Joint Task Force Zamboanga.

Westmincom chief Maj. Gen. Alfredo Rosario Jr. said the Sulu provincial government received 21 boxes, which contained 32,800 vials of Sinovac and eight boxes with 7,215 vials of Pfizer vaccines.

In Bataan, Gov. Albert Garcia said those who will receive COVID-19 jabs during the National Vaccination Day would each receive five kilos of rice as early Christmas gift. – Roel Pareño, Ric Sapnu