TACLOBAN CITY – Some 245,180 residents in Eastern Visayas have been fully vaccinated as of Aug. 15 as the region continues to receive more vaccine supplies from the national government.
The number forms part of the 731,110 doses administered to health workers, senior citizens, those with comorbidities, and essential workers in six provinces and seven cities in Eastern Visayas, the Department of Health (DOH) regional office here reported on Monday (August 16).
Some 485,930 doses or 90.87 percent of the 534,778 first doses allocated to the region have already been administered.
The DOH also reported that about 96.95 percent of the available doses have been distributed, equating to 906,576 out of 935,070 doses received. The region has 397 sites conducting Covid-19 vaccination.
“The government’s intensified vaccination drive is continually in action as the vaccine inoculation for the first three priority groups (health workers, elderlies, and those with comorbidities) is still ongoing, both for their first and second doses, respectively,” the DOH said in a statement sent to reporters.
“The public is reminded to coordinate with their LGUs (local government units) for vaccine registration and get vaccinated, following the government’s Prioritization Framework, in order to get maximum protection against the severe form of Covid-19,” it added.
All frontline health workers in the region have been vaccinated. For elderlies and with comorbidities, the vaccine rollout coverage is 36.11 percent and 56.12 percent, respectively.
About 14.17 percent of economic front-liners have also been inoculated.
The deliveries of vaccines in the region are expected to step up the government’s Covid-19 vaccination rollout, protecting more individuals from catching severe infections and/or deaths from coronavirus.
The health department reminds everyone, including those vaccinated to continue to adhere to public health measures such as physical distancing, wearing of face masks and face shields, hand and respiratory hygiene, and ensuring good ventilation by opening windows and doors where possible as vaccines do not replace the important prevention measures that are currently being practiced.
As of Aug. 16, Eastern Visayas has already recorded 38,513 confirmed Covid-19 cases, including 36,862 recoveries and 435 deaths. This brings the active cases to 1,216 or 3.16 percent of the total.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)
