Local government units (LGU) in Region 7 should strive to ramp up the inoculation of senior citizens to meet the requirements for the Alert Level 1 or the new normal category of quarantine restrictions, a health official said on Monday.

Department of Health (DOH)-Central Visayas chief pathologist, Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, said in a presser Central Visayas will remain under Alert Level 2 even if many localities in the country will start observing the lowest restriction starting on Tuesday, because the region’s vaccinated elderlies are still below 80 percent of their population.

Setting a minimum coverage for the seniors is the fourth requirement under Resolution No. 146-D series of 2021 issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) for an area’s placement under Alert Level 1.

Loreche, however, said the region has accomplished other requirements such as the low to minimal risk case classification as can be seen in the lower daily count of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases.

Also, the hospital bed total utilization rate is below 50 percent, and more than 70 percent of the total population in other priority groups is fully vaccinated.

“We need to have close monitoring for the senior citizens because we need to fully vaccinate 80 percent of their population. Because of our low accomplishment in terms of senior citizens, the IATF could not place us under Alert Level 2,” Loreche said in a mix of Filipino and English.

According to National Vaccination Operations Center data, two highly urbanized cities in the region have lower inoculation rates for the elderly.

Although Cebu City achieved 76 percent vaccination for the elderlies, the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu reported only about 51 percent and 68 percent, respectively.

Loreche, however, said there is a need to reconcile the records, as she stressed the possibility that there are senior citizens who were listed in other categories when they received their first and second doses.

“There are seniors who were recorded as medical front-liners but their age, like me, I am 60, but listed in the A1 category. Some are listed as persons with comorbidities or economic front-liners but they are above 60,” she said. (PNA)