By Rey Anthony Chiu | 10:26 PM Seprember 24, 2021
A total of 50,000 doses of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccines is set to arrive in Bohol this week, according to the spokesperson of the Bohol Inter-Agency Task Force on the management of Emerging infectious Diseases (BIATF) Friday September 24.
Dr. Cesar Tomas Lopez, BIATF spokesperson announced Friday that some 40,000 doses of Sinovac and another 10,000 doses of Pfizer is set to arrive to pick up on the local vaccination that is slowed by issues of lack of vaccines.
This as vaccination to be fully protected against the coronavirus disease creeps to 12.78%, as of September 22.
Data provided from the BIATF and its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) showed that from March 6, 2021 to September 22, some 178,273 Boholanos have been given two shots to be afforded complete protection from the Covid-19.
Another 172,122 Boholanos have received their first dose of the vaccines until the same date, the same updated report from the BIATF indicated.
For the initial dose, a person vaccinated for the first jab would have to wait of another 28 days or more before the second dose of the vaccine could be administered.
As to the Provincial Health Office (PHO), which is also the base of operations of the Provincial Vaccine Operations Center (PVOC), since March 6, Bohol has since received 456,692 total vaccines for its local vaccination roll-out.
With the impending arrival of the 50,000 doses, Bohol should have a balance of stockpiled vaccines at 156,297 vaccines it can use for Bohol’s vaccine program for the next days of operations.
Give a month’s time and based on the balance of vaccines stocked at the PVOC, Bohol will have added some 344,244 to the fully vaccinated Boholanos.
With the 278,419 which would comprise the Boholanos who have been given their second doses in the last month, Bohol by then could reach 522,517 fully vaccinated or, 37.47% accomplishment, six months and 3 weeks after the first batch of vaccines arrived here last March.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority in its recent Census on Population and Housing for 2020, Bohol population has reached 1,394,329, close to 1.4 million.
With an immunization target of 70% of its total population, the dream of getting to 976,030 residents remains a distant goal.
A 70% vaccination accomplishment, according to experts would be enough to bring Covid to a stop its onslaught, as the community should have already attained herd immunity.
According to BIATF spokesperson Dr. Cesar Tomas Lopez, a 50% vaccination accomplishment for Bohol could already bring in good results.
At 50% vaccination accomplishment for the entire population in a community, a decrease in new cases, deaths and hospitalization should already be seen.
He added that at 30% vaccination of the entire population, Bohol could have already flattened the curve of infections, however he insists, a 70% and above vaccination goal is ideal for the tourism island if it wants to resume its tourism industry and regain the confidence of tourists. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)