Low vax turnout seen during local poll campaign

THE NATIONAL Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) is looking for ways to ramp up the mass vaccination program as it raised the possibility of a lower turnout due to the start of the local campaign period.

“We are anticipating a possibility of a fewer output of our local government units because of the election and during the campaign period, therefore, we’re also looking at other means to vaccinate,” said Dr. Krezia Lorraine Rosario, NVOC co-lead.

Rosario said all regions and provinces nationwide have enough supply of Covid-19 vaccines for them to inoculate their target population. There is an equitable vaccine distribution nationwide, she added.

She also reiterated the government and the health authorities have targeted to fully vaccinate at least 90 million by June 30. “We are in the last mile of our vaccination, it means we are nearing in accomplishing a certain population group like for example in our adult population we only have few remaining unvaccinated,” Rosario said.

However, she noted that these unvaccinated people are still having doubts, fears, and hesitations, so it is harder to encourage them to get inoculated which makes them more vulnerable to the deadly respiratory disease.

Rosario said the government will study how to provide better services to the areas still lagging in their vaccination coverage, adding they are planning to launch special vaccination days per area, particularly those that have low vaccination turnout and have large unvaccinated populations.

She said the government will more likely focus its vaccination efforts in Cebu province, and also Region 12 and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. “We’ll also strive to reach our second dose requirement to fully vaccinate our constituents. We are also monitoring those vaccinated individuals that are yet to receive their second doses,” Rosario said. (Lade Jean Kabagani)