The Negros Occidental provincial government is studying the possibility of providing its health workers with booster shots to protect them against the highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Thursday, July 22.
He also said Negros Occidental frontline health workers, and disaster and quarantine facility personnel recently received more than P41 million in special risk allowances and active duty hazard pay from the Department of Health.
Diaz said he has asked the Provincial Health Office to study the possibility of using the provincial government purchased AstraZeneca vaccines as boosters for its health care workers.
This is because in Indonesia more than 160 of its health care workers hit with the Delta variant died despite being fully vaccinated with Sinovac vaccines, he said.
Diaz said he hopes the Department of Health will also provide booster shots for health workers.
Meanwhile, Diaz said the COVID-19 situation in Negros Occidental is improving with the hospital occupancy and positive cases dropping, except for some cities.
Negros Occidental had 1,577 active COVID-19 cases, 125 recoveries and one new death on Thursday, the Provincial Incident Management Team reported.
The provincial government will roll out its 70,000 doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccines to its 31 local government units next week for the inoculation of pre-registered A2 and A3 senior citizens and persons with comorbidities, he said.
Some local government units are asking for 2,000 vaccines a day, he said.
Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccination is ongoing this week, he said.*