Ilocos Region tops 2 million administered COVID-19 vaccine doses

The Ilocos Region has administered over 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the regional Department of Health (DOH) said on Tuesday, October 26.

The health department said of the 2,005,352 vaccine doses, 67% were used for the first shot while 44% were used for the second dose.

The A3 priority group, or people with comorbidities, had the highest vaccination coverage, with at least 612,107 total doses of vaccines administered.

Senior citizens received at least 597,988 doses, with 315,445 receiving one dose and 282,543 getting their second dose.

The DOH also said it exceeded its vaccination target for the A1 category or the medical frontliners. The region targeted to fully vaccinate 87,409 health workers, but according to DOH data, 140,229 health workers are now fully vaccinated, with 173,466 more having received their first dose.

Across the region, the province of Ilocos Sur had the highest vaccine consumption rate, administering 99.74% of the 386,000 vaccines delivered to the province since March 2021.

In September, Governor Ryan Luis Singson appealed for a higher allocation of vaccine supplies during a House committee on economic affairs inquiry on vaccine procurement. Ilocos Sur battled its worst COVID-19 surge during that month.

Singson then said that the number of vaccines delivered was not “enough.” While the province had requested national government approval to purchase vaccines with its own funds, Singson said they did not get any reply.

Singson, however, acknowledged during his local radio show on Saturday, October 23, that vaccine deliveries to the province have increased.

The governor said the province is targeting to reach herd immunity by year end by fully vaccinating at least 504,179 eligible residents. 

At least 31.47% or 158,680 individuals in the province had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, latest data from the provincial government showed.

Singson also revealed that the national government, through vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, had committed to deliver at least 83,180 doses of COVID-19 vaccines per week to achieve the goal.

The province will put up a mobile vaccination program to fast-track the inoculation drive, Singson added.

He urged residents not to be picky about vaccine brands as the government had approved all vaccines delivered to the province.

In nearby Ilocos Norte province, latest data showed that total vaccines administered had reached 366,885, with 155,532 individuals considered as fully vaccinated against the virus.

Dr. Rheuel Bobis, DOH COVID-19 focal person, said that the region was able to expand its inoculation program due to the “stable, frequent, and more vaccines…delivered.”

He assured the public that their office had enough cold storage facilities to stock more COVID-19 vaccines to ensure no wastage. – Rappler.com

John Michael Mugas is a Luzon-based journalist and an awardee of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship.