Northern Samar town launches mobile COVID-19 vaccination

TACLOBAN CITY–The town of Mapanas in Northern Samar has brought the COVID-19 vaccines closer to the people to encourage them to get inoculated against the dreaded virus.

Joe Louis Gajutos, municipal disaster risk reduction management officer, said they were hoping to vaccinate residents in the remote barangays of San Jose, Jubusan, Siljagon, Naparasan, Quezon, and Magsaysay, which have a combined population of at least 4,700 people.

So far, the town’s mobile vaccination program has inoculated more than 160 residents in the villages of Jubasan, Naparasan, and Quezon.

The three villages have a combined population of 2,200 residents.

“There are still residents hesitant to receive the vaccine for some reasons, especially among the seniors,” Gajutos said.

Most of those hesitant to receive the vaccines, he said, were afraid of their possible adverse effects.

“Despite their apprehensions, we are still doing everything to encourage residents to get vaccinated,” Gajutos added.

Since the municipality started its vaccine rollout last March 2021, 577 individuals have been inoculated.

Mapanas has more than 14,000 residents spread across its 13 barangays.

As of July 17, a total of 376,407 persons have received the vaccines in Eastern Visayas. Of the number, 110,829 have been fully inoculated, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

The region currently has 1,467 active COVID-19 cases.

Since March 2020, the DOH said at least 33,811 persons in Eastern Visayas had contracted the virus.

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