BOOSTING JAB. The Department of Health in the Cordillera Administrative Region will continue with its personnel augmentation in Benguet and Ifugao to increase the provinces' coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination accomplishment. Karen Lonogan, chief epidemiologist of the region, on Friday (april1, 2022) said Benguet and Ifugao are at 57 percent and 54 percent, respectively, in their vaccination program. (PNA file photo by Liza T. Agoot) LA TRINIDAD, Benguet - The Department of Health (DOH) in the Cordillera Administrative Region has put in place additional measures to improve coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination rates in Benguet and Ifugao, especially after the hesitancy of some barangay officials and elders in these provinces has resulted in low vaccination rates. Karen Lonogan, head of DOH Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (RESU), in an interview on Friday said 40 personnel hired by the agency will help in the information, education, campaign (IEC) and will do a house-to-house vaccination in the provinces of Ifugao and Benguet. She said that Benguet's vaccination rate is now at 56 percent from the previous report of 52 percent. Ifugao is now at 52 percent from 50 percent. "The factors we saw are 'mirroring' where residents continue to refuse to take the vaccine because they have leaders and elders who have not yet been vaccinated," Lonogan said. She added that religious belief is another factor that came out in their report, for residents' refusal to be vaccinated. Lonogan, however, said that those engaged in the vaccination program are doing their best to reach every resident and convince them to get the vaccine. "They are not slow but Benguet and Ifugao are difficult when it comes to vaccination. But we can see how they are working so hard on improving their vaccination achievement... we know how very difficult it is when we coordinate it with the community because we have a lot of hesitancy that we are hearing from the community side," she explained. She said health partners continue doing their rounds in every barangay, sitio, purok to reach the communities for their jabs. Lonogan said that the personnel augmentation will stay until both provinces have reached at least a 70-percent vaccination accomplishment rate. The official emphasized the importance of vaccination, saying "Ang sinasabi natin, sama-sama tayo as a family because Covid-19 is here to stay. If one is unsafe, hindi safe and lahat so we need to help each other on this one (What we are saying is we are all in this together as a family because Covid-19 is here to stay. If one is unsafe, not everyone will be safe, so we need to help each other)," Lonogan said. She said they hope the provinces will soon be placed under Alert Level 1 and have fewer restrictions. "We are hoping that if we gather our leaders, stakeholders, the people will get the vaccine," she said. As of March 31, Cordillera's full vaccination accomplishment or full vaccination rate is 75.53 percent of the target 1,481,793 eligible population. Baguio City's vaccination rate is at 105.29 percent; Abra at 93.10 percent; Apayao at 78.06 percent; Kalinga at 75.16 percent; Mountain Province at 68.87 percent; Benguet at 56.48 percent, and Ifugao at 52.48 percent. (PNA) }