Article by:
Liza Agoot
BAGUIO CITY – Health authorities here continue to reach out to unvaccinated individuals, especially in Benguet and Ifugao which have registered low vaccination rates, to convince them to get jabbed against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19)
Dr. Amelita Pangilinan, assistant regional director and spokesperson of the Department of Health-Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CAR), in a phone interview on Tuesday, said the DOH, in partnership with local government units, is doing house-to-house visits as well as "person-to-person" vaccination.
"Kahit isang tao or iilan sila na hindi pa nabakunahan, kahit pa malayo sila pinupuntahan na natin para kausapin (Even if they are just one or few unvaccinated persons who live in far-flung areas, we still visit them so that we can talk to them," she said.
"Mahirap lalo kung talagang naka decide na sila na ayaw nilang magpabakuna (It is very difficult especially if they have already decided against being vaccinated)," she added.
The last consolidated regional vaccination report released by the DOH on May 31 showed that 61.20 percent of Benguet's 394,649 population have received the full dose of the vaccine, while 63.51 percent of the senior citizen population have received at least one booster dose.
In total, Benguet's vaccination rate is 59.44 percent.
In Ifugao, 57.54 percent of the 172,134 population have received the full dose, while 10,419 senior citizens have been jabbed with at least one booster dose.
Ifugao has so far logged a 70.50-percent vaccination rate.
For the whole region, the DOH reported that 90.42 percent of the 1,481,793 eligible adult population have received a vaccine.
Pangilinan lamented that some residents continue to be hesitant about vaccines.
"Surprising that until now, we still discover some people, especially women who have not received a single dose," Pangilinan said.
Their reasons range from their husbands not allowing them to be vaccinated to their religious organizations still advocating against vaccination.
"Our last mile strategy is proving to be unsuccessful but we are still hopeful and we will not give up on them, we will go and visit them again," she said.
Justine Camille Malinit of the regional vaccination operations center earlier said the children of unvaccinated adults usually also refuse to get vaccinated.
"We are hoping that they will still be convinced because their individual decisions affect the whole community," the doctor said.
The national government has retained the Alert Level 2 category of Benguet and Ifugao, with restrictions remaining in effect. The other provinces are already under Alert Level 1. (PNA)
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