ILOILO City – Vaccination and the strict adherence to health protocols are the best defenses against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), regardless of the virus variants causing the illness, stressed Dr. Marie Jocelyn Te, medical officer of the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6.
“If possible tanan mapabakuna na,” she said.
The Delta variant of the SARS- CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 has now become dominant worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
First detected in India, it has now penetrated 98 countries, including the Philippines.
The Delta variant is more transmissible and likely to cause severe illness. In the Philippines, several cases have been detected in the National Capital Region.
So far, according to Te, Western Visayas remains free of the Delta and any other SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Last month, a seafarer from Capiz was found positive with the Delta variant. He was tested in Manila and isolated there until he got fully recovered.
The seafarer was allowed to return to Capiz on June 17.
“We cannot control the Delta variant and also ang iban nga variants nga maga-abot pa gid,” said Te.
What about those individuals who are still hesitant to get vaccinated?
Dr. Adriano Suba-an, DOH-6 director, said the department would tighten their vaccination information campaign.
Suba-an observed that even health personnel were hesitant, citing his visit to different hospitals in the region.
“We are going to have a forum for them. I already talked to their hospital chiefs to gather them. DOH-6 will provide resource speakers to give information regarding positive effects of COVID-19 vaccines,” Suba-an said.
“That’s important because these are frontliners,” he stressed.
Same strategy also applies for the public, Suba-an said.
As of July 4, a total of 405,699 people in Western Visayas already received their first dose of vaccines against COVID-19 out of the 5,509,382 master-listed individuals under Priority Group A, data from the DOH-6 showed.
Of the figure, 267,489 received China’s CoronaVac, 133,342 got AstraZeneca while 4,868 had Pfizer for their first dose.
To breakdown per sub priority category, 112,398 of those who got their first dose belonged to A1 (frontline healthcare workers); 134,606 from A2 (senior citizens); 139,873 from A3 (adult with co-morbidities); 17,536 from A4 (frontline economic workers); 1,077 from A5 (indigent population); and 209 were subject for validation.
So far, 126,857 Western Visayans have completed their two doses of vaccination./PN
