The Negros Occidental provincial government is conducting a massive information drive to allay fears against the COVID-19 vaccines and to stress their importance, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said today, February 11.
He said a survey they conducted shows low acceptability for the COVID-19 vaccines.
Diaz said vaccination is the way to move forward, it will protect residents from COVID-19 and help end the pandemic.
It will also make travel easier for those who have been vaccinated, he added.
The provincial government is currently registering frontliners who will be included in the priority list for vaccination, he said.
The Department of Health said frontline health workers and uniformed personnel are prioritized since they have a higher risk of exposure while on duty.
The deadline for the registration of the frontliners is Monday, February 15.
Everyone eligible will be registered for vaccination but one can wave one’s right to be vaccinated, he said.
Those who have pre-existing ailments should get the consent of their doctors for vaccination, he said.
The Negros Occidental provincial government expects to receive 3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the national government for 1.5 million residents.
Training and recruitment of vaccinators for the massive vaccination drive are underway, he said.
Meanwhile, Diaz said DOH representatives visited the Safeguard Diagnostics COVID-19 laboratory at the Valladolid District Hospital in Valladolid town today.
The provincial government expects the DOH to give the laboratory that has state of the art equipment clearance to operate soon, he added.
The Valladolid laboratory is targeted to serve the COVID-19 test needs of residents from Bago City to Hinoba-an town in the south, to ease the load of the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital laboratory in Silay City.*