Moreno
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WITH its low vaccination rate especially among their senior citizens, Misamis Oriental province needs all the help it can get to reach herd immunity and receive Alert Level 1 status, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno said.

“Our neighboring towns and component cities (Gingoog City and El Salvador City) still have low vaccination rate along with Misamis Oriental province…and they have a very long way to go to achieve the 80 percent target for vaccination among their seniors that would justify the national government’s declaration of Alert Level 1 status in the province,” Moreno said during Monday afternoon’s City Hall press briefing.

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City Health Office (CHO) medical officer Dr. Ted Yu Jr. confirmed to Moreno that Misamis Oriental had at best vaccinated 50 percent of their senior population or 30 percent less than the required percentage set by the government to qualify for Alert Level 1 status.

In contrast to Cagayan de Oro City’s over 95 percent vaccination rate of seniors, Misamis Oriental province had yet to reach 70 percent of its population as the country marks the one year since it launched its nationwide vaccination program.

“Misamis Oriental at best reached 50 percent of vaccination among seniors as of last Wednesday according to the northern Mindanao vaccination task force,” Dr. Yu said.

Moreno then instructed Dr. Yu to write the vaccination task force to allow Cagayan de Oro City Hall to deploy more vaccination teams to expedite Misamis Oriental’s campaign to reach herd immunity.

“At the rate they’re (provincial capitol) going, Misamis Oriental won’t achieve Alert Level 1 status,” Moreno said.

Moreno said Cagayan de Oro City has a stake in helping Misamis Oriental province reach herd immunity since a substantial portion of, if not the majority of the province’s population work in and visit the city for medical treatment, business, and leisure.

The city also hosts the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC), considered as the apex Covid-19 referral center in the province and Region 10.

“No one is safe until everyone is safe from the virus,” Moreno said.

Misamis Oriental province along with the provinces of Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, and Misamis Occidental are placed under Alert Level 2 status while only Cagayan de Oro City and Camiguin province are under Alert Level 1 status not only for their low Covid-19 cases but also their high vaccination rate especially among seniors.

The city’s high vaccination rate is considered as a crucial factor in its high recovery rate as the majority of the vaccinated usually recover faster from the virus than the unvaccinated. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)

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