3.1 million in Ilocos Region fully vaccinated against COVID-19

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines – More than three million individuals in the Ilocos (Region 1) have been fully vaccinated, the Department of Health – Center for Health Development (CHD) said on Thursday, February 3.

Dr. Rheuel Bobis, DOH Region 1 Covid-19 focal person,  said 3,122,325 individuals have received full vaccine doses. The figure represents 58.3% of the region’s total target population of 5,353,139.

Pangasinan province has the most number of fully vaccinated individuals at 1,624,962.

The figures for fully-vaccinated individuals in other Region 1 provinces are: Ilocos Norte,  408,908;  Ilocos Sur, 488,806; La Union, 486,970; and Dagupan City, 112,679.

Ilocos Sur has the highest coverage, with 67.48% of its 724, 395 target population; followed by Ilocos Norte with 65.95% of 620,052; Dagupan City with 61.43% of 183,431;  La Union with 57.83% of 842,047; and Pangasinan with 54.47% of 2,983,214.

Bobis noted that the three provinces’ combined coverage is still lower than Pangasinan, which has the largest population in the region.

He also pointed out that Pangasinan has the highest five-day (January 29 to February 2) average vaccination at 10,154.

Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur have 3,568 and 3,125, respectively; La Union, 2,768; and Dagupan City, 1,051.

Bobis said 3,500,539 persons or 65.4% of the region’s 5,353,139 target population received at least one dose of the vaccine and 9.3% got booster shots.

The DOH regional health figures show 54,420 out of 86,696 health workers or 62.77% received booster shots. – Rappler.com

Ahikam Passion is a Luzon-based journalist and an awardee of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship.