The Department of Health is targeting to vaccinate at least 1, 278,777 Western Visayas residents during the “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” Days on November 29 to December 1, with the highest number set for Negros Occidental, the DOH announced Monday.
The DOH has set the target number of residents to be vaccinated in Negros Occidental at 516,807, and Bacolod City at 66,171.
The target for Aklan is 79,591, Antique – 115,217, Capiz – 133,576, Guimaras – 28,699 and Iloilo province – 338,716.
No target was set for Iloilo City since it has reached 90 percent of its threshold, and is continuing its vaccination drive, the DOH added.
The DOH said for Negros Occidental to reach herd immunity by the end of 2021 it must vaccinate 1,825,370 of its population or 70 percent with a daily target of 172,269.
A Provincial Health Office report Sunday showed that Negros Occidental had vaccinated 548,010 of its population with at least one dose for a total of 30.02 percent, Provincial administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.
Those fully vaccinated are 408,050 or 22.35 percent, he added.
He said the province needs to vaccinate 1,277,360 more residents or 312,998 a week to teach its 70 percent target for herd immunity by December 15.
But Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said earlier that the more realistic target date for reaching herd immunity would be February 2022.
Diaz said the three-week vaccination rate of Negros Occidental from November 13 to 21 was at an average of 66,909, or 14 percent of its weekly target of 312,998 individuals.
Only Victorias City has achieved more than 50 percent of its weekly target with the highest accomplishment at 73 percent, he added.
LGUs that have achieved below 10 percent of their weekly target for vaccination are Isabela, San Carlos City, Sipalay City, Calatrava, Candoni, Cauayan, Hinigaran, Himamaylan City, Bago City, Pontevedra and Hinoba-an, Diaz said.
In terms of magnitude, areas with more than 50,000 remaining targets are Kabankalan City – 103,137, Bago City – 93,080, San Carlos City -73,331 Cadiz City -69,782, Sagay City – 66,120, Cauayan – 60,042, Himamaylan City – 59,575, Silay City – 52,906 and Hinigaran – 51,905.
MORE VAX TEAMS
Diaz said the provincial government has increased its vaccination teams to help local government units and to hasten the inoculation drive in the province.
The nine provincial government-run hospitals have one team each, the Provincial Health Office has five, and personnel of quarantine facilities no longer in use will also be tapped to create more teams, Diaz said.
BOOSTER SHOTS
Meanwhile, Bacolod City announced Monday that it is now administering booster shots for health care workers, senior citizens and persons with comorbidities.
Negros Occidental is currently administering booster shots on hospital health care workers.
VACCINES ARRIVED
More COVID-19 vaccines arrived for Negros Occidental, Bacolod City and the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital on Monday.
Negros Occidental received 9,360 doses of Pfizer and 98,600 doses of Sinovac, while Bacolod City received 2,340 doses of Pfizer and 17,600 doses of Sinovac vaccines.
CLMMRH got 2,340 doses of Pfizer vaccines.*
