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Negros Occidental, Bacolod hasten vaccination as Covid cases rise

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 added

Bacolod 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) will be given their allocations after the Sinovac vaccines are fully utilized based on the first in, first out protocol,” the governor said.

Given the special storage requirement of the Pfizer vaccines, the vaccination of such will be administered at the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City and the Negros Residences in Bacolod City only, he said.

LGUs will submit the list of their vacinees to the Provincial Health Office, he added.

Priority groups remain to be those belonging to the A1 to A3 categories – health care workers, senior citizens and persons with comorbidities, Lacson added.

Bacolod City is also expecting more COVID-19 vaccines to arrive, Dr. Chris Sorongon, Bacolod Emergency Operations Center deputy for medical data and analysis, said.

They, however, have not been told yet how many vaccines will be sent, he added.

Bacolod City is continuing with its mass vaccination drive in malls, barangays and subdivisions to ensure that Bacolodnons get vaccinated quickly and effectively, Em Ang, EOC executive director, said.

Mass vaccination was conducted at Villa Valderrama Subdivision, Sta. Clara Executive Village and Palisades Subdivision on Sunday, she said.

“As cases of COVID-19 continue to surge, vaccination is an extremely important tool in strengthening our response to COVID-19 when used in combination with minimum health protocols and other preventive measures,” Ang said.

Bacolod City is also waiting for a Department of Health team to inspect the freezers it purchased for COVID-19 vaccines, Sorongon said.*

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