The Negros Occidental provincial government is continuing its COVID-19 vaccination drive despite a slowdown in typhoon-hit areas, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Monday, December 27.
He said the vaccination campaign especially slowed down in southern Negros Occidental where focus has been on trying to recover from the typhoon.
Negros Occidental has vaccinated 1,077,505 residents with one dose or 59.03 percent of its target population, and has fully vaccinated 672,774 or 36.86 percent, the Department of Health (DOH) reported Monday.
It is ranked number one in Western Visayas for having the most number of unvaccinated residents at 747,865, the DOH said.
Negros Occidental that has the largest population in Western Visayas needs to fully vaccinate 1.8 million Negrenses or 70 percent of its 2.6 million population, to hit herd immunity, the DOH said.
Bacolod City has fully vaccinated 383,322 residents or 93.33 percent of its target population, and 427,320 with their first dose or 104.05 percent, the DOH added.
Bacolod and Negros Occidental are low risk areas for COVID-19. Negros Occidental is under Alert Level 2 and Bacolod City is under Alert Level 1, the DOH also said.
Lacson reminded Negrenses to continue to observe health protocols to prevent the spread of COVID. 19.
He noted that the National Capital region’s positivity rate has increased from .9 percent to 3 percent, and whatever happens in NCR eventually also does in the provinces.
The good news is that a cure for COVID is on second clinical trial and the World Health Organization believes the pandemic may end soon, he added.*