Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and several other senior citizen mayors will be vaccinated against COVID-19 at the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City on Friday, April 29.
The governor along with other senior citizen local chief executives will be inoculated with Sinovac vaccines, and if there are extra doses Capitol department heads will be qualified as substitutes, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Tuesday, April 27.
The mayors who have voluntarily agreed to be vaccinated with the governor are Manuel Escalante of Manapla, Nadie Arceo of Hinigaran and Ernesto Estrao of Hinob-aan, Diaz said.
Candoni Mayor Cicero Borromeo has yet to confirm if he will be vaccinated on Friday, he added.
Diaz said they also have ten doses of AztraZeneca vaccines for the inoculation of the provincial board members.
The board members who have indicated their willingness to be inoculated are Araceli Somosa, Sixto Guanzon Jr., Victor Javellana and Samson Mirhan.
To be vaccinated as substitutes are Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena, June Caberoy of the Bids and Awards Committee, and Dr. Narissa Lemoncito of the Provincial Rural Development Project, he added.
“We have 31 doses of Sinovac vaccines for our local chief executives but they must be senior citizens,” Diaz said.
They will have spares because many of the Negros Occidental mayors are not senior citizens yet, he added.
Diaz said Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer is not qualified to be vaccinated yet and will wait for his turn to come.
Diaz said local government units interested in buying additional vaccines for their constituents are being encouraged to buy the Russian-made Sputnik V from the national government.
Those who wish to buy the vaccines were told to submit letters of intent, he said.
The governor said the provincial government has already purchased 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines and has sufficient supply for its needs, Diaz added.
The AstraZeneca vaccines are expected to come sometime in June, July or August, he said.*