TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, July 6 (PIA) – The countdown to leveling off the curve in Bohol’s coronavirus disease (COVID-19) affectation started with the Provincial Health Office (PHO) reporting 30,647 fully vaccinated Boholanos as of July 3. 

Acting Provincial Health Officer Dr. Cesar Tomas Lopez, citing health experts, said that as soon as a locality vaccinates 30% of its population, the area should have attained a flattened curve.

A flattened curve means the degree of the viral disease affectation levels off from its increasing trend, Lopez said during the recent Kapihan sa PIA in Bohol. 

With the population of Bohol now at 1.3 million, 30,000 is nearly 1% of the 390,000, which should comprise 30% of the local population. 

The national government has rolled out the national vaccination program in Bohol on March 6, firm in the belief that only by vaccination can the government keep communities protected from the viral disease that has killed 83 Boholanos since March 2020.

Since then, after four months, Bohol vaccination teams have inoculated a total of 69,520 Boholanos composed of medical and health frontliners, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities, and a few workers in the tourism frontline services, a report from the Provincial Vaccination Operation Center revealed.

Vaccination was at a daily rate of 580 Boholanos. 

A big factor contributing to the low vaccination turnout, however, is the slow delivery of the vaccines from the national government, said Bohol Mayors William Jao of Tubigon town and Hilario Ayuban of Loay town.

In Bohol, health authorities at the Provincial Vaccine Operations Center have received 142,830 doses of Sinovac, Astrazeneca, Sputnik and Pfizer vaccines since March 6, according to PHO.

Of the total, 100,167 doses have been administered, of which the remaining 42,663 doses would be spent in the next few days of vaccination operations, health sources said.

According to Lopez, a vaccination center in Bohol has been trained to accomplish an average of 150 shots a day.

With an average of one vaccination center for each town and about a few more in Tagbilaran, Bohol’s daily vaccine accomplishment could go over an estimated 7,500 doses a day for all its vaccination sites.

But the challenge has been the lack of any definite schedule of deliveries of the vaccines.

The issue on the delivery of the vaccines to Bohol is also dependent upon the vaccines that Manila receives from the international facilities like COVAX and the United Nations World Health Organization as well as the donations from other countries. (RAHC/PIA7 Bohol)