LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The municipal government is grateful to the ongoing efforts of the youth to convince the elderly to be vaccinated with the available vaccines for them to have added protection from contracting severe infection of the COVID-19.
However, Mayor Romeo K. Salda admitted that the gains of the municipal government in achieving the prescribed herd immunity for the elderly is still low primarily because people have already become complacent with the ongoing easing up of community quarantine restrictions.
He disclosed that of the more than 10,000 senior citizens that should be vaccinated, the municipal government was only able to vaccinate more than 5,700 elderly which is equivalent to around 58 percent of the desired population that is still way below the prescribed 70 percent vaccination rate among the elderly to achieve the herd immunity.
The municipal chief executive reported that health workers attend occasions in the town’s 16 barangays to inform and educate and eventually vaccinate those interested individuals.
While the achievement of the desired herd immunity among the elderly is very slow, Salda claims that the municipal government already did what it needs to do to convince the elderly to be vaccinated but it seems complacency among them have prevailed.
According to him, there are senior citizens who are also volunteering to be vaccinated after some of the members of their families contracted or were re-infected with the deadly virus.
He said the local government is alarmed over the increase in the number of individuals, mostly young females, who are infected with the deadly virus over the past several weeks that is why residents and visitors alike should continue adhering to the implementation of the minimum public health protocols.
Mayor Salda emphasized that individuals should always be mindful of the welfare of others by complying with the minimum public health protocols, such as the mandatory wearing of face masks, observance of physical distancing and the regular practice of personal hygiene and disinfection, to help in containing the spread of the virus that might again compromise the local health care system and unduly stress the frontliners.
The mayor admitted that while a good number of those contracting the virus are either asymptomatic or mild, residents should be reminded that being vaccinated is very important to spare them from contracting severe infection that might compromise their health.
He asserted that people should listen to the advise of experts for them to be vaccinated and be boosted for them to have added protection from the deadly virus.
Benguet remains under Alert Level 2 because of its inability to achieve the prescribed herd immunity among the elderly thus stricter community quarantine restrictions such as the limited seating capacity of establishments are being implemented.
Earlier, Salda called on the youth to help in convincing the elderly to be vaccinated and boosted for them to be spared from contracting severe infection of the virus.
