THREE years and a month after Bohol closed its doors to prevent the entry of the dreaded coronavirus disease, some 736 Boholanos have since died when the preventive measure failed and until now, deaths by the viral disease still averaged 1.5 per day.
This is based on the data available from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) manned by the Bohol Inter-Agency task Force on the management of emerging Infectious Diseases (BIATF EID) and the Department of Health (DOH).
Seeing its continuing threat, the government through the DOH is still relentlessly getting to remote locations to bring the vaccines to the vulnerable sector: senior citizens, children and people with comorbidities.
Despite a perceived slackening in the vaccination program with people simply refusing to get the booster or even the preliminary dose, a daily death average of 1.5 is still relatively high.
In fact, from the EOC, in the last 1,124 days since March 15 when Bohol declared its borders closed and banned the entry of people from outside not cleared from the disease, Tagbilaran City, Bohol’s most populous and economic hub lists the highest COVID fatality at 139 deaths.
Running far second is Ubay, which registered some 36 deaths by COVID since 2020.
Nearby Talibon, another equally populous town west of Ubay posted 28 deaths, followed by Loon with 27 deaths after three years.
Fifth on the list is shared by Calape and Carmen with both 25 deaths recorded since the first COVID death in Bohol.
The first COVID death in Bohol was traced in Panggangan Island, of Calape town.
Sixth is yet another populous town closest to Tagbilaran City, Dauis. The town monitored 23 COVID deaths since 2020.
Seventh position is shared by Guindulman and Maribojoc at 22 deaths by the viral disease.
Eighth is Jagna which tallied 20 COVID deaths.
Ninth in the list is Panglao, with 19 reported COVID deaths.
Tenth is Inabanga with 18 COVID deaths.
As the deaths by the viral disease that has since mutated into many different strains challenging vaccines and health professionals, majority of them agree that vaccination has been the most effective measure against the disease, those who got inoculated may not be spared from getting ill, but the chances of surviving the ordeal rates high, than those unvaccinated.
In fact, according to data from the DOH, deaths occurred mostly to those who were not vaccinated, or those vaccinated who got infected by the virus before the vaccine could tale its full effect. (PIA-7/Bohol)
