By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said the identification and registration of persons who will undergo vaccination for the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 is ongoing.
The identification is based on the guidelines issued by the Department of Health.
The province is also preparing vaccinators and vaccination centers, which will include rural health centers.
During a recent Zoom meeting between vaccine czar Carlito Galvez and League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), which was also attended by Health Secretary Francisco Duque, the national government announced that it will also provide consumables, such as syringes, needles, cottons and alcohol for the inoculations.
Diaz said that the national government assured 3 million doses of vaccine for Negros Occidental, enough to inoculate 70 percent of its population.
Also, 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine will arrive in the country by the second week of February.
“Two weeks after, about 3.5 million to 9 million of AstraZeneca vaccine will follow, which is the national allocation,” Diaz said.
He told reporters here that “while we are not optimistic to receive a share of Pfizer vaccine shipment, with metro cities being prioritized for its distribution due to requirements of cold storage, there is a big chance for the AstraZeneca shipment, which is only enough for the province health workers and frontliners.”
We rely on former Rep. Benitez and other Negros Occidental solons to help us secure a reasonable share, Diaz stressed.
The provincial government of Negros Occidental already purchased 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, which is expected to arrive in the province in the third quarter of 2021.
The obligation of LGUs is to gather all garbage, including vials, and return these to DOH for proper disposal.
