A2 VACCINATION. Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. said the provincial government will refocus its vaccination program to reach out to more senior citizens. In his regular press conference on Thursday (March 3, 2022), he said the vaccination coverage for the elderly is low, citing vaccine hesitancy and access among the reasons. (PNA file photo)
ILOILO CITY – The Iloilo provincial government will refocus its vaccination drive to reach out to senior citizens or the A2 sector who until now have yet to receive the shot against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., in his press conference on Thursday, said many senior citizens in the province are not inoculated citing vaccine hesitancy and access as among the reasons.
“In Iloilo province we are aligned with the WHO (World Health Organization and the DOH (Department of Health) in refocusing and intensifying our vaccination for our A2. We have taken significant steps. We have hired vaccinators as much as we can using the resources of the province so that we can increase the vaccination capacity of our municipalities,” he said.
Data from the Regional Vaccination Operations Center (RVOC) showed that as of Feb. 28, 2022, 65.97 percent or 154,198 of the target elderly have their first dose and 145, 278 or 62.15 percent have availed of their second dose.
In terms of access, he said the provincial government has already taken steps such as bringing the vaccination to the barangays.
“We have graduated from the vaccination sites to the vaccination to the barangays,” the governor said.
He added that on February 25, the province also launched the EDSA People Power Resbakuna and took it as an opportunity to appeal for people power for the vaccination program, which already covered the general community.
The national vaccination day on March 10 will also focus on the elderly.
The provincial government is now coordinating with the DOH and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on how to convince and gather more elderly.
They will be coming up with activities and provide incentives that will be detailed in the Executive Order (EO) that will soon be released by the governor. (PNA)
