CEBU CITY – Seventy percent of the target population in Region 7 or Central Visayas have been vaccinated against Covid-19, the Department of Health (DOH)-Region 7 announced Wednesday, June 8.

Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH-Region 7 director, said the the 70 percent vaccination rate was the initial target before it was increased to 85 percent due to the new variants of the virus.

“We adjusted it from 70 to 85 percent because of the variants that had developed. So we will still be continuing to pursue the vaccination program until we reach the target that has been set,” Bernadas said.

Dr. Van Phillip Baton, head of the DOH-Region 7 Emerging and Re-emerging Infection Diseases program, said four provinces in Central Visayas have achieved high vaccination rate – Siquijor (91.52 percent), Bohol (71.55 percent), Cebu (64.44 percent), and Negros Oriental (57.50 percent).

Baton said the DOH Region 7 is now focusing on four localities in Cebu and Negros Oriental because of their low vaccination rate. “They have actually other issues aside from vaccines such as security concerns and geography.”

Baton said vaccine hesitancy remains prevalent among senior citizens who believe they do not need to be inoculated because they are just at home most of the time. “That is not enough reason because we have household members who go in and out especially for work. Our children are also starting to go to schools which also adds additional risk for senior citizens,” said Baton.

Baton said they cannot say yet if herd immunity has already been achieved even if 70 percent of the target population is already vaccinated.

“There might be a lot of people that are not yet accounted for in the cities because of our migrant workers, our students, the family members. There could still be a lot of people that are coming in that are undetected and not part of the projected population that are still to receive their single dose,” said Baton.