The Negros Occidental Provincial Health Office aims to vaccinate 100 percent of its target senior citizens against COVID-19 by next week, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, Provincial Health Officer, said Wednesday, August 18.
So far they have fully vaccinated 48.389 percent of the 113,000 plus targeted senior citizens, while 60.758 percent received their first doses, Tumimbang said.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said there has been an improvement in the vaccination of senior citizens against COVID-19 in the province.
“I think the concern now is that there are some senior citizens that have difficulty going to vaccination centers. It has to be figured out how to address that, especially those in the hinterlands whose houses are so far apart from each other,” Lacson said.
Tumimbang said it has been difficult to vaccinate senior citizens because of their lack of mobility.
To speed up the vaccination of senior citizens house to house drives are being eyed, he said.
Coordinating with senior citizen federations and timing vaccinations with social amelioration assistance are also being eyed, he said.*