The Department of Health regional office in Northern Mindanao (DOH-10) has so far vaccinated more than 32 percent of the 3.5 million eligible vaccinees needed to achieve population protection against Covid-19.
As of Nov. 11, DOH-10 data showed fully vaccinated individuals have reached 1,147,428 as of Nov. 13, or 32.3 percent of the 3,552,194 target.
During Saturday evening’s podcast of the Cabinet Officers for Regional Development and Security Region 10 (CORDS X), Local Health Support Division chief Dr. David Mendoza said they are coordinating with stakeholders and local government units (LGUs) to reach the target by December this year.
“In the regional office, we created teams to assist and help our LGUs in their vaccination facilities and sites. We also augmented manpower such as vaccinators and screeners so that we can achieve our goals,” he said.
Mendoza told Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, the podcast host and CORDS for Region 10, that vaccination rollout in the region will speed up because of adequate supply and the strengthened partnership with private sectors, including non-health facilities and organizations.
Local government initiatives
In Misamis Oriental, Governor Yevgeny Vicente Emano called on his constituents to get vaccinated as they try to inoculate at least 681,571.
So far, 249,961 have received jabs.
“We still need 431,610 individuals to be vaccinated to achieve 70 percent population protection,” he said in a video message posted on Facebook on Sunday.
The city government of Iligan, meanwhile, is implementing new measures to boost the vaccination drive and curb the transmission of the virus.
Executive Order 291 issued by Mayor Celso Regencia states that starting November 16, drivers, conductors, and operators of public utility vehicles (PUVs) shall not be allowed to operate without a vaccination card indicating at least one dose or a negative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test
Similarly, all commuters taking PUVs are required to present their vaccination card and a negative RT-PCR test.
In Lanao del Norte, the provincial government provided rice and adult milk to over 1,600 fully vaccinated senior citizens in the municipalities of Maigo, Sapad, Sultan Naga Dimaporo, and Pantar.
It is the provincial government’s way of lowering vaccine hesitancy, especially among members of the vulnerable sector such as the elderly.
“Although we only have a few Covid-19 cases, we must not be complacent. We are still far from our goal of herd immunity, and unless we achieve it, we cannot stop,” Governor Imelda Dimaporo said in a statement.
As of November 13, there are 802 active cases in Northern Mindanao, with 155 of them from Dimaporo’s province.
Source: Philippines News Agency
