The Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH WV CHD) is hoping to further increase its accomplishment rate under the “Bakunahang Bayan: PinasLakas National Vaccination Days” campaign with the conduct of special inoculation against Covid-19 on Sept. 26-30.

“Our objective is to facilitate the rapid mobilization of the Covid-19 vaccination among our eligible population,” Dr. Bea Camille Natalaray, head of the DOH WV CHD infectious disease section, said in an interview on Monday.

The Pinaslakas campaign that was launched in July this year initially targeted to vaccinate 96,522 senior citizens for their primary series and 2,049,876 for the first booster of the eligible population, except for the 5-11 pediatric age group, during the first 100 days of the current administration.

“Our accomplishment is very low, at 1,552 or 1.61 percent so we need to vaccinate 94,970 of our senior citizens. For booster, we have accomplished 142,887 or 6.97 percent of our over 2 million target. So we still have a goal to vaccinate around 1.9 million,” she said.

Natalaray said their central office has readjusted the target for the first booster dose to 30 percent for the first 100 days and the 50 percent will already be achieved for the rest of the year while the 90 percent target for primary series of senior citizens remains the same.

Currently, the local government units (LGUs) that are closer to the 50 percent target are Iloilo City with 47.94 percent and Bacolod City with 23. 12 percent.

“Our LGUs should have this target in mind to go beyond our endemic state. So we need to have this wall of immunity so that eventually we can progress on our endemic state,” she said.

Natalaray said a series of launching activities will be held this week, with focus on those needing improvement in their coverage for senior citizens such as Antique and Negros Occidental.

The elderly vaccination rate of Antique is at 58.55 percent or 30,921 out of the 52,725 target eligible population while Negros Occidental has 60.76 percent or 139,800 out of the 229,162 target.

Nonetheless, Natalaray attributed the region’s low cases of Covid-19 to vaccination, and observance of minimum health protocols.

She said that 94.14 percent of the target eligible population availed of their primary series or are fully vaccinated while the elderly has a 77.35-percent coverage.

Western Visayas, as of Sept. 25, 2022, has 1,422 active cases, which is 0.72 percent of the 195,999 total cumulative cases.

“The whole of Region 6 is at minimal risk for Covid-19,” Natalaray said, noting that the number of cases is decreasing.

In August, the average daily case was at 156 per day, and 71 this September. (PNA)