VAX JAB. The inoculation rollout against Covid-19 in Dumaguete City continues at the Robinsons Place shopping mall. The Negros Oriental Provincial Health Office is calling on senior citizens to get vaccinated amid a reported low turnout in this particular sector. (Photo from the Lupad Dumaguete Facebook page)
DUMAGUETE CITY – Senior citizens comprise the largest percentage of total deaths due to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in Negros Oriental, records at the Provincial Health Office (PHO) showed.
Assistant Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion said in a virtual presser Thursday that of the 738 mortalities, 502 were aged 60 and above, which is 68 percent of the total number.
Of the 502 elderlies who died of coronavirus, 255 were males (51 percent) and 247 were females (49 percent).
“We can see based on these data that there is a bigger risk for senior citizens to be infected by Covid-19,” she said in mixed English and Cebuano.
Estacion again appealed to the people to encourage their family members who are senior citizens to have themselves vaccinated against Covid-19.
One of the criteria for Negros Oriental to qualify for Alert Level 1 is to reach the required 70 to 80 percent inoculation of its 149,312 senior citizens. The province remains under Alert Level 2 until March 15.
So far, only 55,562 senior citizens have been fully vaccinated and this does not even represent 50 percent of the target, Estacion said. (PNA)
