BACOLOD City – If the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) here were to be believed, only nine percent of the total population in this city are left unvaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
These individuals are mostly minors and those medically not eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines, according to EOC executive director Em Ang.
Data from the EOC showed 79,781 “vaccinable” minors between five to 11 years old but only about 5,000 have so far registered online for COVID-19 vaccination.
Ang acknowledged the hesitance of some parents to have their children vaccinated but she expressed confidence they would change their minds eventually.
The pediatric vaccination for minors between five to 11 years old starts on Feb. 14 at the Riverside Medical Center and some malls.
But the EOC eyes three schools as vaccination centers, too.
According to Mayor Evelio Leonardia, “Bacolod City can now be considered a ‘protected’ against COVID-19.”
“In terms of our total population, our vaccination rate is over 91 percent. I understand this is one of the highest in Western Visayas,” Leonardia said.
The city has a population of 590,174, data from the Department of Health Region 6 showed./PN
