Almost all healthcare workers in Central Visayas get jab

CEBU, Philippines —  Central Visayas healthcare workers are almost done with their vaccination as 131,043 or 99.3 percent were already fully vaccinated out of the 131,989 eligible populations for this sector, showed the Visayas COVID-19 Vaccination Operation Center data.

The data as provided by VVOC spokesperson, Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, showed that 99.8 percent or 131,718 of the health workers were already administered with the first dose.

For the expanded A1 priority group, a total of 46,576 and 38,083 were administered with the first and second dose, respectively.

The vaccination rate for senior citizens or the A2 priority group has remained low at 36.4 percent or 216,788 fully vaccinated out of the 595,058 eligible populations. A total of 165,125 received the first dose.

For the A3 or the persons with comorbidities, 53.4 percent or 338,080 were fully vaccinated out of the 632,992 eligible populations for this group while 312,569 or 49.4 percent were vaccinated for the first dose.

As for the economic frontliners or the A4 priority group, 577,667 or 58.4 percent and 425,291 or 43 percent were administered with the first and second dose, respectively. This group has a total eligible population of 989,988

It is still a long way to go for the indigent population or A5 priority group as 6.05 percent or 102,596 were fully vaccinated out of the 1,694,564 eligible populations. A total of 150,215 or 8.86 percent doses were administered for the first dose.

For Central Visayas, a total of 1,992,485 doses were administered wherein 1,076,840 and 915,645 for the first and second dose, respectively.

More Sinovac

Meanwhile, the Philippine government received three million more doses of Coronavac from China, with some of it set aside for Central Visayas.

Aside from Central Visayas, the latest shipment of the said vaccine more known as Sinovac will go to Region 1, 2, 3, 4-A, 6,9, 11, and the rest for Metro Manila, said the National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito G. Galvez.

Along with this, Galvez also emphasized that recent studies conducted in Malaysia showed that the Sinovac-made vaccine is highly effective against severe disease and death.

“We would like to encourage everybody na kung ano ‘yung dumating na vaccine very effective naman lahat at it prevents from any severe at hospitalization and death,” he said.

This newest shipment brings to 69,699,340 the total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses delivered to the country.

As of September 26, the Philippines has administered 43,815,426 doses of which 23,609,600 Filipinos have received the first dose, while 20,205,806 individuals are now fully vaccinated.

Galvez is hoping that at the end of this month, at least 30 percent of its target populations are already vaccinated. — Caecent No-ot Magsumbol, GMR (FREEMAN)