Tagbilaran City may achieve herd immunity against COVID-19 by the end of November this year, eight months after the first vaccination against the viral disease was administered in the city.

According to City Health Office (CHO) spokesperson Ruben Culpa, the city has fully vaccinated 43,262 people or 41.5 percent of its total population as of September 15, and the percentage is expected to reach at least 50 percent by the end of the month.  

The city needs to vaccinate 70 percent of its population, which was at 104,976 as of 2020, to reach the so-called herd immunity.

However, the city has to hurdle challenges, including the continued hesitancy of some residents in getting vaccinated, to hasten the inoculation drive.

“Hopefully makuha gyud nato ang atoang herd immunity by Novermber but ang gibuhat pa nato ron is pag convince sa mga di pa desidio or kadtong mga hesitant pa magpabakuna so dako-dako pa ta og buhaton na sa pag convince sa ilaha unsa ka importante ang pagpabakuna,” Culpa said.

The city has the capability to vaccinate 3,000 individuals per day but it is limited to only administering around 1,000 doses daily due to scant vaccine supply.  

Tagbilaran, like the rest of the country’s LGUs, is almost solely dependent on vaccines allocated by the national government.

“Ang atong gihatag na target sa DOH is naa tay 1,200 na mabakunahan, kaya kaayo unta na pero ang problema lang is ang availability sa vaccine,” he said.

The health official said the number of persons comprising the city’s vaccination teams remains adequate so far but aired that they may soon need augmentation.

Culpa noted that some CHO personnel end up getting quarantined or contracting COVID-19 leaving its manpower crippled. (R. Tutas)