More Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines are arriving in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City.
Negros Occidental and Bacolod City will receive 10,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines each on Tuesday. July 6, Dr. Mary Jane Juanico, head of the infectious disease section of the Department of Health in Western Visayas, said.
The provincial government was also informed that on July 15, it will receive 3,500 of the 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines it purchased, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Monday, July 5.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has promised to give the 31 local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental 1,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines each for their employees so their workplaces will be safe, Diaz said.
However, since only 3,500 doses are initially arriving it may be recommended that the initial distribution be made to LGUs near Bacolod City, Diaz said.
These are Bago, Silay and Talisay cities and Murcia, he said.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia is against asking for more vaccines for Bacolod, City Administrator Em Ang said.
Since Bacolod was declared by the national government as one of 10 cities in the country that are priority areas for vaccine allocation on June 24, the city has only received 7,800 additional Sinovac vaccines, she said.
Bacolod City administered 1,009 additional COVID-19 vaccines on Monday.
In Negros Occidental, of the 5,336 Sinovac vaccines dispersed to 18 LGUs Monday, 4,618 Negrenses were vaccinated, Diaz said.
That is equivalent to a 86.54 percent utilization rate, he said.
The LGUs covered were Escalante City, Sagay City, Cadiz City, Victorias City, EB Magalona, Silay City, Talisay City, La Carlota City, Moises Padilla, San Carlos City, Bago City, Valladolid, Pontevedra, Himamaylan City, Kabankalan City, Ilog, Candoni and Sipalay City.
The Sinovac vaccination drive will continue on Tuesday, Diaz said.
Employees of national government agencies were also vaccinated with Negros Occidental’s remaining Pfizer vaccines at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City on Monday, he said.
The governor said records show that there has been a 94 to 95 percent turnout of vaccinees for Sinovac jabs but there seems to be clamor for Pfizer vaccines.
The governor said while there appears to be a preference for Western brands, health experts are saying that all vaccines are good.
Negros Occidental had 148 new COVID -19 cases for a total of 1,841 active cases and one death on Monday, the DOH reported.
Bacolod City had 52 new cases for a total of 1,986 active COVID-19 cases and one death, the DOH added.*