Carla P. Gomez

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has set the rollout policy for the 11,700 doses of Pfizer-Biotech vaccines to be administered from June 28 to July 2 in Negros Occidental.Lacson, in a memorandum to the mayors of Negros Occidental Tuesday, June 22, said only A1 to A3 vaccinees (healthcare workers, senior citizens and people with comorbidities) will be targeted for Pfizer vaccination.The vaccination sites will be at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City and the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City, he said.The local government units (LGUs) must submit their master list of vaccinees before 5 p.m. of June 24 and should be responsible for the transport of their constituents to the vaccination sites during their assigned schedule, the governor said.During their assigne...

The Negros Occidental Provincial Environment Management Office has a new head.Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lascon said Tuesday, June 22, that Dr. Rebecca Parcon has been designated officer-in-charge of the PEMO.This was after former judge Danilo Amisonla retired as PEMO chief.The governor said a new head of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist has yet to be named.Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino is retiring July 1 after 39 years in government service.*

The Department of Health downgraded Bacolod City’s COVID-19 risk classification from high to moderate on Monday, June 21, but the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) forecasts that cases in the city will further increase towards the end of the month.Negros Occidental’s classification remained at low risk, Dr. Marie Jocelyn Te, DOH 6 medical officer IV, also said in an online press briefing.The average daily COVID-19 attack rate of Bacolod City was 18.03 percent from May 24 to June 6 and 17.43 percent from June 7 to 20, she said.The average daily COVID-19 attack rate of Negros Occidental was 4.21 percent from May 24 to June 6 and 3.73 percent from June 7 to 20, she added.Bacolod City had 84 new COVID-19 cases for a total of 2,208 active cases on Mo...

Covid-19 mass vaccination at the Escalante City plaza Monday, June 21.*About 90 percent of the 11,909 doses of Sinovac vaccines delivered to the 31 towns and cities of Negros Occidental in the last five days have been administered on Negrenses as of Monday, June 21, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.The remaining 2,616 doses out of a total of 14,525 will be distributed on Tuesday, June 22, he said.The aim is to fully administer all 14,525 doses on Tuesday, he said.The Department of Health is sending 10,000 more doses of Sinovac vaccines to Negros Occidental Tuesday, Dr. Mary Jane Juanico, head of the infectious disease cluster of the DOH in Western Visayas, said.The inoculation of 11,700 Pfizer vaccines will be conducted at the Negros Residences in Bacolod C...

San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza said he tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, June 20, and is now under medical care at a hospital.The bishop is symptomatic but is in stable condition and is so far responding to treatment, Fr. Marjun Almario, Diocese of San Carlos chancellor, said Monday, June 21.“Now God allows me to be on the other side among the infected of this dreaded virus,” the bishop said.He said for the time being Msgr. Erwin Magnanao, Diocese of San Carlos vicar general, will take over his responsibilities.The bishop assured that he is being given the best possible medical attention available.“I ask for everyone’s prayers for my fast healing as well as for other COVID-19 patients even as I assure you too of my constant prayers and offerings,” he said....

Capitol photoNegros Occidental and Bacolod City will receive 25,000 more Sinovac doses on Tuesday, June 22, Dr. Mary Jane Juanico, head of the infectious disease cluster of the Department of Health in Western Visayas, said Monday.Bacolod City will receive 15,000 doses and Negros Occidental will get 10,000, she said.“We have to continue improving our roll out and show DOH that we can handle more vaccines than they have been allocating for our province,” Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said.“We thank DOH-6 Regional Director Emilia Monicimpo for responding to our continuing requests for more vaccines,” Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia said.This is good news because this will accelerate the momentum of Bacolod’s vaccination program, he said.“To date we have alr...

The CLMMRH COVID-19 Critical Care Unit*The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) owes the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City P326,667, 895 in COVID-19 claims and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests, CLMMRH chief financial officer Shareen Junsay Caelian said Sunday, June 20.The P326 million does not include the about P67 million non-COVID related claims of CLMMRH, she said.The total unpaid COVID-19 claims of the hospital for the treatment of 640 patients is P277.6 million from February 2020 to the present, Caelian said.PhilHealth has only paid P4.2 million plus or 1.5 percent of CLMMRH ‘s total COVID-19 claims, she said.“While hospitals and doctors are being accused of benefiting from this pandemic, t...

Bacolod PIO photoMayor Evelio Leonardia has ordered the suspension of all public celebrations during the Feast of St. John the Baptist (San Juan Bautista), including the traditional practice of water splashing, in Bacolod City on Thursday, June 24, to stem the spread of COVID-19.Leonardia in Executive Order 32 Series of 2021 issued Saturday, June 19, suspended any form of festivity, excursion, picnic, revelry, and/or similar public gatherings in open places such as roads, alleys, parks, squares, shorelines, beaches, and the like, at any time of the day on June 24.Any traditional custom of water splashing and similar acts committed in public, such as public streets, sidewalks, workplaces, churches are also prohibited, he said.Violators of the ban on water splashing will face...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Sunday, June 20, that Negrenses will be inoculated with the 11,700 doses of Pfizer vaccines that recently arrived in Negros Occidental after the Sinovac vaccines of the province are fully utilized.Negros Occidental had 166 new COVID -19 cases on Saturday and 144 on Sunday for a total of 310, the Department of Health (DOH) reported.The province now has 2,633 active COVID-19 cases, it addedBacolod City had 191 new cases on Saturday and 65 on Sunday for a total of 256. It now has 2,270 active COVID-19 cases, the DOH added.Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said the Sinovac vaccines are targeted to be fully consumed early this week, with the provincewide mass vaccination set to continue Monday and Tuesday.“LGUs (local government units) wil...

The number of health workers who tested positive for COVID-19 in Hinoba-an, Negros Occidental, have increased to 10, Mayor Ernesto Estrao said Sunday, June 20.However, he said the Rural Health Unit and birthing center in Hinoba-an that were closed last week will reopen soon since all of their staff have already been tested for COVID-19 and those who had negative results can resume work.Last week, seven out of 12 newly identified COVID-19 cases in Hinobaan were personnel of the RHU.The four others were family members who were considered close contacts and one Hinoba-an local government employee.Estrao said three more health workers also tested positive for COVID-19.The RHU and birthing center personnel who tested positive are nurses and midwives, Estrao said.*