Bangsamoro gov’t vaccinates 65% of its health workers

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) – The Bangsamoro government said on Thursday that it vaccinated at least 65% of its health care workforce.

Bashary Latiph, the health minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), said in a statement that 9,588 out of 14,750 health care staffers had received their first COVID-19 immunization dose.

The health workers have been categorized as the A1 priority group by the autonomous regional government.

Latiph, a medical doctor himself, said the A1 category comprises frontline health care staff from hospitals, isolation and quarantine centers, and government-owned primary care-based facilities.

The regional government led by Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim launched a vaccination campaign in March's first week.

So far, Bangsamoro has reported 4,719 COVID-19 cases, with over 160 deaths. About 4,283 patients have made a full recovery.

According to the statement, Sulu province has the highest vaccination coverage, with approximately 93% of its total number of health care employees, or 2,579 out of 2,777, receiving vaccinations.

Latiph reiterated an Islamic decree issued by the Bangsamoro Darul-Ifta, an Islamic jurisprudence institution, in which it stated that vaccinations against COVID-19 "does not nullify one's fasting" during Ramadan.