Bohol COVID vaccination

at 11%, after 7 months

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Oct 16 (PIA) –Giving the full two vaccine shots against coronavirus disease (COVID) to 218,856, of the 1,394,329 total population, Bohol is still a little over 11% of its target of getting to 70% of its total population.

Getting to 976,030 or 70% of the local population to be protected against COVID the soonest time possible proves to be a near impossible task for Bohol.

Bohol is dependent on the national government’s vaccine purchases, although some LGUs and groups have made arrangements with companies in their purchase of the vaccines; the City of Tagbilaran and Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry have sourced out vaccines for their priorities.

In the last seven months of example, Bohol has only received from the national government some 961,871 doses of the vaccines, where two jabs would be needed to afford one a full protection against the viral disease that has since killed 520 Boholanos since May of last year.

The 961,871 vaccines which arrived in Bohol is only good for the full protection of 480,940 residents where each one would be using two doses of the vaccines for full protection.

Now, with 196,417 Boholanos given the first dose, in a month’s time, if the vaccine supplies allow, Bohol would have vaccinated 415,273 Boholanos at least.

Unfortunately however, with 196,417 Boholanos needing the second jab to get complete protection, there are only some 68,719 vaccine shots in Bohol’s current stockpile, as of October 13.

That means Bohol needs some 127,698 doses within the month, if the province desires to get its first dose recipients given the complete protection.

Even if Bohol does that and accomplishes the inoculation of the 196,417 first dose recipients, this is not even reaching 30% of the general population.

With 961,871 vaccines at its disposal, plus at least the 127,698 needed to give complete protection to the first dose recipients, this is still equal to 29.78% of the total population.

Bohol has decided to just keep its money to procure the vaccines aside, upon the advice of the country’s vaccine czar, Gov Arthur Yap claimed.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez accordingly said the P100 million allocation could not dent on the sheer number of vaccines needed in Bohol. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)