Ilocos Norte hits 70 percent of target in full COVID vaccination

Ilocos Norte residents wait for their turn to be vaccinated at Robinsons Mall in San Nicolas town. PHOTO FROM ILOCOS NORTE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte—A total of  301,333 residents of Ilocos Norte—70 percent of the target population—had been fully vaccinated against COVID, according to the provincial government on Wednesday (Dec. 15).

Data showed the provincial government had surpassed its target coverage for those who had received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, serving 449,367 individuals or 104 percent of the target population.

At least 431,801 residents need to be vaccinated for the province to reach herd immunity, the provincial government said.

At the second leg of the national vaccination drive, which started on Wednesday, Ilocos Norte’s target was to administer vaccines to at least 148,000 people.

Vaccination facilities across the province would allow walk-ins to reach the target in the next three days, according to Dr. Josephine Ruedas, provincial health officer at a press briefing on Wednesday.

Ruedas said health officials continued to encounter residents who are picky about vaccine brands. She said all vaccine brands are safe and effective.

Ilocos Norte is one of the 14 provinces in the country that already exceeded the target in the first round of the national vaccination drive, with at least 59,117 individuals getting injected against the highly transmissible virus.

The province has 30 active COVID-19 cases, its lowest in six months. Since the pandemic began, the province has logged at least 18,954 cases.

TSB