ILOILO CITY – The Department of Health (DOH)-Region 6 seeks to administer Covid-19 booster shots to 1.6 million people in Western Visayas.
“Booster coverage in the region stands only at 12.16 percent,” Pulmones added during the launching of the “PinasLakas” or the campaign to strengthen booster vaccination campaign in Region 6 in Iloilo City Tuesday, July 26.
Only 788,183 or 12.16 percent of the total target have received booster shots in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental as well as the highly urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod.
The DOH-Region 6 is worried by the trend that senior citizens, highly vulnerable to Covid-19, are not completing their full Covid-19 vaccinations as well as not getting booster shots.
“Uptake of vaccination among our senior citizens is declining while boosters, which provide additional protection against severe Covid-19, are slowest since the start of our vaccination campaign,” noted Pulmones.
DOH-Region 6 records show that only 76.81 percent or 564,663 of the target 735,157 senior citizens across the region have been fully vaccinated.
The DOH-Region 6 is targeting more than 97,000 senior citizens for covid-19 vaccinations.
The DOH-Region 6 has urged local government units (LGUs) to step up the Covid-19 vaccination drive as new positive cases are emerging.
As of Wednesday, July 27, there were 2,083 active Covid-19 cases – with 203 new cases – in Western Visayas.