LIGAO CITY –– More than 14,000 older citizens from Bicol have received vaccines against COVID-19, the Department of Health Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) in the region said.
“So far, we are doing well since we started the vaccination activity in May. And we have a total target of 536,000 senior citizens for the Bicol region,” Dr. Rita Mae Ang-Bon, DOH-CHD COVID-19 vaccination focal person in Bicol, said in an interview Tuesday afternoon.
To maximize the vaccination events, local governments coordinated and tied up with private establishments for the convenience of the senior citizens.
In Legazpi City, the city government and its health office tapped SM City Legazpi, Pacific Mall, and LCC malls.
The Legazpi City Convention Center also served as a site for COVID-19 vaccination.
“Senior citizens (under the A2 priority group), who will be accommodated, are those who registered in their barangays or via COVID-19 electronic immunization registry,” Legazpi Mayor Noel Rosal said.
The older citizens received British-made AstraZeneca and China-made Sinovac vaccines from the 192,340 allocated for the region for the first to third-level priorities.
As of May 17, Bicol has recorded 9,900 COVID-19 cases since March 2020, with 6,853 recoveries and 344 deaths.