The country’s vaccine czar wants to make sure that areas with low Covid-19 vaccination coverage can catch up with other regions that have already inoculated 70 percent of their target population.

This was assured by Dr. Ted Herbosa, special medical adviser of the National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19, during a virtual Laging Handa public briefing on Wednesday.

Herbosa said Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., NTF chief implementer and vaccine czar, will be visiting the provinces of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and in some other areas, to ramp up the vaccination drive in the country.

“Pupunta doon sa ibang areas ng BARMM para makumbinsi at matingnan po kung ano ang mga problema kung bakit mabagal ang ating vaccination progress diyan sa mga lugar na iyan (He will be visiting other areas in BARMM to convince and check the existing problems why there’s slow vaccination progress in that areas),” Herbosa said.

Galvez earlier cited most regions in the country have hit at least 70 percent of their target population for the Covid-19 vaccination program.

Five of these regions exceeded 80 percent vaccination coverage, including Metro Manila (114.1 percent), Ilocos Region (86.4 percent), Cagayan Valley (83.58 percent), Central Luzon (83.4 percent), Cordillera Administrative Region (82.51 percent), and Calabarzon (79.77 percent).

Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Caraga, Mimaropa, Central Visayas and Soccsksargen regions posted a vaccination coverage ranging from 60 to 69 percent.

Galvez emphasized the need to further scale up the vaccination program and address hesitancy in some areas nationwide, particularly in the BARMM, that are lagging behind with only 28.02 percent of their population who are fully vaccinated.

Herbosa said the NTF will also revisit the Covid-19 vaccination program and will analyze the lingering reasons for the slow inoculation pace in some areas.

“May mga lugar na mababa pa siyempre, titingnan at iaanalisa kung papaano natin mapapabilis pa at mabigyan ng bakuna ang ating mga mamamayan doon (The are areas that are still lagging, it will be looked into as to how it could be expedited and provide vaccine to the residents there),” Herbosa said.

So far, some 61,225,811 Filipinos are now fully vaccinated, including those who received the single-dose Janssen and Sputnik Light jabs, with 9,161,128 eligible individuals already with booster doses.

The government’s “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” drive for the adult population is ongoing until Feb. 18, aimed at ramping up the administration of Covid-19 primary series and booster shots.

The pediatric vaccination program for children aged 5 to 11 years old and 12 to 17 years, has also been expanded in other areas across the country. (PNA)