TACLOBAN CITY- The city government here has received awards after it topped in the vaccination program to combat the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
In a ceremony spearheaded by the Department of Health (DOH)-Eastern Visayas, Tacloban was cited for garnering 89% inoculation coverage against the disease.
City Health Officer Danilo Ecarma, who received the accolades during the Regional Awarding of Health Achievers on September 15, lauded the “widespread information drive” of the city government that resulted in the “significant success” of the city-led vaccination drive.
Ecarma maintained that “having only the primary vaccination series (first and second doses) will never be enough, as vaccine efficacy wanes to about 50 percent after four months.”
He then urged the residents to take their booster shots.
“For this purpose, the city government has moved the vaccination drive to the district health centers for easy accessibility,” said the City Information Office.
Meanwhile, Tacloban bagged the bronze award for the TB Preventive Treatment Rate (TPT) Category.
According to Ecarma, tuberculosis “remains a public health concern in the city as it records 1,200 cases annually.”
As this developed, the health official said Tacloban “has been proactive in this area by providing free services such as consultations and free medicines.”
(RONALD O. REYES)
