With barely three more weeks left in December, Davao City marked a milestone with over one million fully vaccinated individuals as of December 6, 2021.
At least 1,009,921 Dabawenyos have received their second jabs of anti-COVID-19 vaccines or 77.69 percent of the city’s target herd immunity.
For first doses, Davo City has recorded 1,171,050 vaccinees or 90.08 percent of its target herd immunity.
Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte, during her Special Hours Program over 87.5 Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) program aired on December 6, 2021, said, “Ang atoang target is 1,299,894.
Assuming that we have 15 days nalang nabilin, ako I’m not optimistic makuha nato tong 100 plus thousand no in just 15 days. But we hope we’ll be able to finish all the first doses of the 70 percent target herd immunity sa population by the year’s end (Our target is 1,299,894. Assuming that we only have 15 days left, I’m not optimistic that we would hit the remaining 100 thousand plus in just 15 days. But we hope to be able to finish all the first doses of the 70 percent target herd immunity of the population by the year’s end).”
Of the 1,171,050 first jabs, 63,124 are health care workers who are under the priority A1; 107,014 are senior citizens (A2); 185,612 persons with comorbidities (A3); 3,812 are pediatric 12-17 years old with comorbidities (A3); 555,477 are essential workers (A4); 130,602 are indigents (A5); 34,851 belong to the rest of the population; and 90,558 for the pediatric population.
Also included among those who got their first doses were 100,407 Dabawenyos catered to during the Sangguniang Panlungsod-led mobile vaccination program as of December 7, 2021.
Second dose vaccinees include 58,120 health care workers; 96,996 senior citizens; 166,664 persons with comorbidities; 1,614 pediatric 12-17 with comorbidities; 551,790 essential workers; 106,241 indigents; 6,919 for the rest of the adult population; and 22,577 for the pediatric population.
Davao City Task Force COVID-19 Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser, for her part, hopes that part 2 of the Bayanihan Bakunahan set on December 15 to 17 will be as successful as the first part where the city inoculated a total of 75,476 individuals.
“The Vaccine Cluster team is preparing para maging successful sya. Gamay nalang atong atong target aning Bayanihan Bakunahan part 2 kay gamay-gamay nalang man ang atong i-hit na target (The Vaccine Cluster team is preparing for it to be successful. We only aim for a lower target in the Bayanihan Bakunahan part 2 as the target left to hit is also low),” she said during the COVID-19 Alert program of 87.5 FM DCDR on Wednesday, December 8, 2021.
Dr. Schlosser said that the City Government of Davao, through the Davao City Task Force COVID-19, will continue to strengthen its strategies to reach the target herd immunity.
She added, “Honestly, we have employed several strategies. Actually ang Davao City ang isa sa pinakadaghang strategies to hit our target. Magpadayon lang siguro ta sa mga strategies, strengthen lang nato (Davao City is one of those with many strategies to hit our target. We will just continue with our strategies and strengthen them).”
The city health official cited the information dissemination campaign as a very important strategy to encourage Dabawenyos to get vaccinated. She said a group of city councilors with the security cluster and health sector continue to have a series of dialogues with tribal leaders and residents in geographically isolated disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) who still have apprehensions about the COVID-19 vaccination program.
She also said that the mobile and house-to-house vaccinations of the Vice Mayor’s Office and the city councilors are ongoing, as well as the Bakuna Nights and all typical vaccination hubs are open for walk-ins. District health officers also conduct their mobile vaccinations aside from putting up a vaccination site, and the fast lane or drive-thru at People’s Park.
“All strategies atoa nang na-employ sa Davao City. The success of our program labi na gyud vaccine sa COVID-19 is pag-change sa behavior sa tao o mindset sa tao. All strategies naa ta. Ang behavior is hard to change (We have already employed all strategies in Davao City. The success of our COVID-19 vaccination program lies in changing the behavior and mindset of the people. We all have strategies. But the behavior is difficult to change),” Dr. Schlosser said as she appealed to Dabawenyos to strictly comply with the minimum public health standards (MPHS) and to also get vaccinated as the Christmas holidays are approaching. CIO