There were 123,940 doses of Pfizer, Johnson and Jonhson and AstraZeneca vaccines that arrived in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City on Monday, July 19, to boost the fight against COVID-19.
Negros Occidental received 72,900 doses, of which 70,000 were Johnson & Johnson vaccines and 2,900 were AstraZeneca.
Bacolod City received 51,040 doses, of which 30,000 doses were Johnson and Johnson vaccines, 18,700 doses – AstraZeneca and 2,340 doses – Pfizer.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia said the 51,040 doses were the biggest volume received by Bacolod in one delivery since the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination program.
“We wish to thank Secretary Charlie Galvez for keeping his word to keep Bacolod among the priorities and we are sure this volume will help us accelerate the implementation of our vaccination program,” he said.
He said the 18,700 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines are already part of the vaccines that Bacolod contracted in a tripartite agreement with the national government and AstraZeneca.
“With this, we expect our locally funded vaccines to come on a regular basis,” he said.
“This is good news to the many who are waiting considering that we had already been allowed to include priorities A1 until A5 (health workers, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities, economic frontliners and the indigent population),” Leonardia said.
He appealed for the participation of Bacolod residents in the vaccination program.
DISAPPOINTED
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said he was disappointed with the meager amount of AstraZeneca vaccines that arrived, pointing out that Negros Occidental ordered 100,000 doses.
The United Kingdom where the AstraZeneca vaccines are manufactured also has its issues with COVID-19 so obviously the priority is their own, he said.
“It’s very disappointing because we were even expecting that what we ordered from AstraZeneca would be the very first vaccines that would arrive here but so many other vaccines have already arrived,” he said.
However, consistently Negros Occidental receives its share of vaccines from the Department of Health, he said.
The Negros Occidental provincial government will use its 2,900 AstraZeneca doses for A4 vaccinees (economic frontliners) from July 26 to 30 at the Negros Residences, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.
The Johnson and Johnson vaccines will also be rolled out for senior citizens and persons with comorbidities in local government units from July 26 to 30, he added.*