PRIORITY SECTORS IN AGSUR TOWN SUPPORT LGU’S VACCINATION PROGRAM

By Jennifer P. Gaitano

With the ongoing conduct of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination, the eligible priority sectors/groups in the municipality of Veruela in Agusan del Sur continued to show their support and cooperation to the local government unit by availing of the free vaccines and advocating it to their family members and relatives. During the Network Briefing News on Friday, Municipal Mayor Myrna Mondejar shared that this week, the LGU has scheduled the vaccinations from Monday until Thursday. ”At first people were hesitant because of fake news about the vaccines but after a constant information drive, they become optimistic that the vaccines would help keep everyone safe from the spread of the virus,” she said.

“They have this ‘wait and see’ behavior. They wanted to see for themselves what happened to those who were vaccinated – whether they’re safe or experienced several ill effects. But now that we had established the schedules for vaccination, they show up willingly at the vaccination centers,” added Mondejar.

The lady mayor further revealed that for the A1 category, 134 have had their first dose of AstraZeneca, of which 49 are already fully dosed. There were 126 senior citizens vaccinated for their first dose; and some 90 individuals with controlled comorbidities.

“Under Sinovac, we have 371 with the first dose and the fully vaccinated under A1; for the senior citizens, 125 had the first dose and 89 are fully vaccinated; for A3, 104 had their first dose. All in all, we have 965 who have been vaccinated here in Veruela. We also have started vaccinating the Indigenous Peoples – the Manobo. They were initially hesitant because they were afraid, so what we did was to vaccinate first the Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) and tribal leaders to win their confidence,” underscored Mondejar.

Despite the increasing number of COVID-19 in the municipality, Mayor Mondejar emphasized that the LGU still manages the situation and intensifies the advocacy campaign against the spread of the virus. The locals also follow the guidelines under the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine, not only within the municipality but the whole of Agusan del Sur.

“As of now we have 25 active cases; 1 death, and 98 recoveries. Since the declaration of the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) because of the increasing cases, we have been conducting checkpoints to check and prohibit non-essential travels; we increased police visibility; implemented health protocols strictly like wearing of face mask, face shield, and social distancing, among others,” said Mondejar. (JPG/PIAAgusan del Sur)