Davao region falls short of target in vaccination drive

DAVAO CITY—The three-day massive vaccination rollout in the Davao region could only lure about a third of its 753,294 target as only 253,032 received shots against COVID-19, a report from the regional office of the Department of Health (DOH) showed.

In Davao City, reports said 52,321 were vaccinated in the first two days. Its target for three days was set at 147,000.

The DOH has yet to explain the shortfall in coverage but Dr. Michelle Schlosser, Davao City COVID-19 Task Force spokesperson, said some residents, particularly those in the hinterlands, had refused to be vaccinated.

Although the city government was prepared for the influx of people to the vaccination sites and that logistics and other requirements were on hand, Schlosser said some residents were still hesitant mainly because of their faith and the proliferation of false information on the vaccination program.

“We are reaching out to our ‘lumad’ (indigenous peoples) brothers and sisters who are not yet open about getting vaccinated,” Schlosser said on Wednesday, adding that the city government had initiated dialogues with communities to enlighten them of the benefits of getting vaccinated.

As of mid-November, about 75 percent of 1.2 million people targeted by the city government for inoculation had completed their shots, said Mayor Sara Duterte.

Low turnout

“People should be responsible enough to have themselves vaccinated. We encourage them to broaden their understanding about vaccination, so that we can reach our target of herd immunity,” Schlosser said.

In Davao Oriental, the provincial government is hoping that it will reach 80 percent of its target population coverage by the middle of this month, said Dr. Reden Bersaldo, Davao Oriental Provincial Task Force on COVID-19 action officer.

But like Davao City, the province, which targeted to inoculate 96,700 during the three-day rollout, only managed to vaccinate 31,012, or less than a third of its goal.

A regional report showed it was Davao del Norte which registered the biggest number of vaccine recipients during the campaign from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 at 84,349, although this was still about half of the 168,704 target.

Davao Occidental could only achieve 14.7 percent of its 66,106 target as only 9,723 responded to the vaccination call.

Davao del Sur, which targeted to inoculate 134,886, only covered 39,244, while Davao de Oro was able to vaccinate only 36,383 of its 139,540 target. —CARMELITO Q. FRANCISCO