The Department of Health in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CAR) has called on local government units (LGUs) for a concerted effort in vaccinating the elderly against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Dr. Ruby Constantino, DOH–CAR Regional Director and Regional Vaccination Operations Center (RVOC) chairperson, on Tuesday said Covid-19 remains a public health concern regardless of age, race, and ethnicity.

She, however, said that the risk of severe illness, complications, and death from Covid-19 increase with age.

Constantino said senior citizens are considered most vulnerable to getting infected, and as such, are advised to remain at home at all times.

She said the vulnerability of the senior citizens is also the reason they are next in the priority for vaccination after workers in frontline health services.

“We are appealing to all our partners at all levels to assist the government in this endeavor, and to all 60 years old and above constituents to take this opportunity to be vaccinated,” Constantino said.

The doctor said that based on the data of the DOH-CAR as of June 14, there were 190 Covid-19 deaths among the elderly aged 60 to 69, or 27 percent of the total.

There were also 282 deaths among 70 years old and above which account for 40.5 percent of the recorded deaths in Cordillera, the doctor added.

The regional Covid-19 tracker shows that as of June 21, the Cordillera has recorded 719 deaths due to Covid-19 since March 2020.

Constantino said that based on the latest available data on June 17, there are 144,446 senior citizens listed for vaccination in the region.

From the number, 37,357 or 25.86 percent already got their first dose of Covid-19 vaccines including 9,562 who already completed their two doses of the Covid jab. (PNA)