The Negros Occidental provincial government has finally been granted permission to vaccinate economic frontliners or those under the A4 priority group, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Friday, August 20.
The provincial government will step up the vaccination of A4 residents with the arrival of 80,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines next week and with the use of its remaining AstraZeneca vaccines, Diaz said.
It is now clear to the Department of Health that local governments are having a difficulty reaching their vaccination targets for senior citizens belonging to the A2 category, he said.
Negros Occidental this week reached 61 percent of its A2 category target and hopes to reach 100 percent by next week, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, Provincial Health Officer, said earlier.
The provincial government has already surpassed its A1 – health care workers and A3 – persons with comorbidities targets, he said.
The previous rule was that its must complete its A1 to A3 targets before proceeding to A4.
Meanwhile, 582,500 AstraZeneca jabs procured by local government units and the private sector through the “A Dose of Hope” project arrived in the country on Friday, the National Task Force Against COVID-19 said.
Bacolod City expects to receive more than 30,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines that it purchased next week, City Administrator Em Ang said.*