To reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection, the province of Batangas has acquired 65,560 doses of AstraZeneca, 148,894 of Sinovac, 1,500 of Gameleya Sputnik, and 35,100 of Pfizer vaccines, of which 191,965 were used for first-dose vaccinations while 49,879 were consumed for second doses as of July 4.
The data released by the Batangas Provincial Health Office (PHO) during an Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) meeting last July 5 further elaborated that 60.29% of the target population for Group A1 have been fully vaccinated as well as 21.60% for Group A2, 20.60% for Group A3, 1.77% for Group A4, and 21.85% for Groups B and C.
The data also showed that there are currently 104 vaccination posts in Batangas province, including 44 private hospitals, 46 rural health units, 14 community hospitals, and the DREAM Zone Capitol Compound.
“I think although ang mga cities po nagbabalak po silang magdagdag, so aantayin po natin ang kanilang additional vaccination posts,” Rosvilinda Ozaeta, a Provincial Health Officer, said.
Ozaeta also reassured the public during the IATF meeting last June 21 that the province of Batangas will continue to receive vaccines regularly from the Department of Health (DOH).
“Weekly po ay nagbibigay po sa atin ang DOH ng vaccines po, so continuous talaga ‘yung pagroroll-out naman po natin,” said Ozaeta.
However, many people still refuse to be vaccinated despite the available supply and Ozaeta emphasized its importance during the IATF meeting.
“Ito [ang vaccines] po ay nakakadagag sa proteksyon atin, hindi ang ibig sabihin na fully protected but once na kapag may antibodies na tayo, [kapag tayo ay nahawaan] mas bababa po ‘yung ating morbidity pagdating sa critical tsaka severe, at the same time, ‘yung mortality,” Ozaeta said.
The registration for the COVID-19 vaccination master listing can be done online through a link available on the official website of DOH while the respective local government units will be responsible for the scheduling of vaccinations.
Hoewell Alcantara, a first-year college student in De La Salle Lipa who received his second dose of SinoVac last June 25, claims that being vaccinated gave him a sense of security against the virus.
“[Vaccination] doesn’t necessarily mean that we won’t get the virus, but it means that whatever the virus does to us, our body will be ready to fight it. Because of that, vaccination will also lessen the severity of the virus, and we can mostly go back to our normal lives before the pandemic,” said Alcantara.
[Thumbnail photo from Batangas PIO]
