Ilocos Norte residents receive COVID-19 vaccines in a mega vaccination facility in Laoag. | Photo courtesy of Ilocos Norte provincial government
LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte––At least 100,000 residents of this province are targets for inoculation during the three-day national vaccination drive to reach its target for herd immunity.
Dr. Norman Rabago, a provincial COVID-19 consultant, said the vaccination drive from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 would prioritize the unvaccinated among the general adult population and children ages 12 to 17.
Data from the Department of Health (DOH) in the Ilocos region showed that at least 79 percent of the 431,801 target eligible population in the province had received at least one dose of the vaccines, while 56 percent had been vaccinated fully.
Rabago assured the public that the province had enough vaccines for the 100,000 target and that the manpower would achieve the goal.
But he called for more volunteers from the private sector to help during the three-day vaccination drive.
The provincial government called on the unvaccinated to register at the nearest government facility in their areas.
“We will try to accommodate those who will come as a walk-in, but to ensure the smooth and orderly process during the vaccination days, we encourage them to get registered first,” he said.
Rabago also tried to encourage those still hesitant about getting vaccinated as he assured that all vaccines, regardless of brands, had been proven “safe and effective.”
The provincial government plans to give incentives and hold mobile vaccination drives to speed up the inoculation, Rabago said.