DUMAGUETE CITY: The top health official of Negros Oriental province has reminded the public that the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines and booster shots are still available for free.
Dr. Liland Estacion, officer-in-charge of the Provincial Health Office (PHO), told the Philippine News Agency on Saturday the vaccination rollout has slowed down and people are no longer mindful of the follow-up doses now that pre-pandemic routines have resumed.
The number of fully vaccinated in the province has not reached the targeted 70 percent
As of Jan. 17, PHO data showed only 58 percent have full doses against Covid-19, including those who availed of one-shot jabs -- or 662,644 of the target 1,148,424.
Among those with complete doses are 248 children aged 5 to 11, which Estacion hopes will increase as in-person classes have already resumed.
“It is sad to see that people have already stopped coming to the designated vaccination centers in the different local government units as well as in other designated sites in Dumaguete,” she said.
Regular vaccination in private establishments, such as a department store and a business process outsourcing firm here, is still conducted regularly.
She warned that Covid-19 is still “in our midst and with new Omicron sub-variants being reported elsewhere, we can never tell if the cases will rise again.”
As of Jan. 18, Negros Oriental has 14 active Covid-19 cases
Source: Philippines News Agency
