CORTES, Bohol, July 23 (PIA) – Bohol marked its 167th founding day with the rollout of 50,000 doses of Johnson and Johnsons (J&J) single-dose COVID-19 jabs on "Bohol Day" which was also called "Bohol Bakuna Day" on July 22. 

The observation kicked off with a ceremonial turnover of the vaccines to the towns represented by Dauis Mayor Marietta Sumaylo, president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines.

Board Member Jescelo Adiong, sectoral representative of the town councilors’ league in Bohol, rolled his sleeves for his jab administered by the vaccination team from the Provincial Health Office at the sidelines of the Bohol Day Culmination Program at the new Bohol Capitol.

Earlier during the program, Vice Gov. Rene Relampagos announced that the governor has sourced the vaccines in his latest trip to Manila.

In his Memorandum to the Provincial Health Officer and specifically to the Provincial Vaccination Coordinator Macchiavelia Loida Caliao, Gov. Arthur Yap directed vaccination teams on July 22 to prioritize the vaccines for unvaccinated senior citizens under the A2 priority group and unvaccinated persons with comorbidities or under the A3 group. 

Also included in the same directive to the vaccination coordinator is to bring the vaccines to high risk local government units based on their surge of cases, geographically isolated and depressed areas (GIDAs), and to Overseas Filipino Workers and seafarers classified under A1 group who are scheduled to go back to their deployment abroad.

The simultaneous Bohol Day vaccination activity came as a welcome reprieve as Bohol vaccination teams have prepared well but the  delivery of sufficient vaccines stalled the preparations.

As of July 18, based on reports from the Bohol Inter-Agency task Force on the management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the province has accomplished only 13.67% total vaccination of masterlisted priority groups. 

That means that of the 253,146 health and medical frontline workers, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities and workers in the essential sectors, only 34,620 have been inoculated with two doses to be afforded the protection against death of severe cases of COVID-19. 

Of the 34,620 who have been given the two doses, about 25,947 of them or roughly 74% are priority healthcare workers in the frontline services, to secure and insulate them from the risk of infection. 

The 25,947 completely vaccinated healthcare workers comprise only 60% of the total 42,949 masterlisted frontliners, as around 40% or 17,000 health care workers are still vulnerable to infection while in the performance of their duties. 

Among those who have completed their double doses of protection, about 19% of them are senior citizens and 5.7% are individuals with comorbidities.

Of the 147,631 masterlisted senior citizens, only 6,686 or 4.5% have been given the two jabs, while 1,987 or 6.22% of the 31,927 masterlisted persons with comorbidities have been fully vaccinated. 

Of the 30,639 essential workers in the industry and trade sectors, only 6,160 or 20% have received the first dose. (RAHC/PIA7 Bohol)