By Rey Anthony Chiu | 02:22 PM April 13, 2022
The sprint for Bohol to hit 80% of its 1,106,084 population eligible for vaccination continues as teams unleash their draining energies on this stretch to achieve 63.3% vaccination rate.
Getting to 80% eligible population given complete vaccines of two doses would be a key in convincing the national Inter Agency Task Force Coronavirus Disease (IATF COVID) to bring down Bohol’s COVID Alert Level from Alert Level 2 to Alert Level 1.
At least at Alert Level 1, Bohol’s tourism industry would rev at a full 100% and this could allow the cogs of the local economy to grind back to a speedier recovery, according to a tourism industry player who now thinks Bohol could have a much better cash in at Alert level 1.
In March for example, with Bohol’s leading tourism destination in the Chocolate Hills in Carmen starting to open up to 70% venue capacity for Bohol’s COVID Alert level 2 status, Carmen tourism officer Bernadeth Adlawon reported nearly 27,000 tourism arrivals bringing to the local coffers nearly a million in receipts.
In its report April 6, 2022, Bohol Inter-Agency Task Force on the management of Emerging Infectious Disease (BIATF) and based on the data from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) of the Provincial Vaccination Operations hub, a total of 699,658 Boholanos have received the regulated 2 doses of the vaccines to afford the person full protection against the virus.
BIATF has pegged the 80% target population to be given full protection at 1,106,084.
Once Bohol gets to fully vaccinate this much Boholanos, experts believe that COVID would become a no-threat as by this time, Bohol would have achieved a significant number of people protected from the virus to attain local herd immunity.
But attaining 80% vaccination coverage of its population, Bohol vaccine teams still need to get the second dose to some 406,226, and in the shortest time possible.
In fact, as to the BIATF report, there are already 691,350 Boholanos who have received their initial doses.
With the second dose of the vaccines needing to be spaced out to at least three weeks, in a month’s time, Bohol could actually cover the 406,226, if only that is physically possible.
In theory, in a month, those who had their first doses can be given their second doses.
However, that would mean all towns in Bohol should be able to vaccinate at least 8,463 individuals or an estimated 384 individuals in a day.
The figure is excluding those additional individuals who would take their initial doses in the next month and those who would line up for their booster doses.
Logistically, can it be done?
Unless Bohol could receive additional vaccine deliveries of at least 292,939 vaccines which would be solely dedicated to second doses, and its balance of 292,939 from the vaccines earlier received also dedicated for the same second dose inoculations. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
