BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The provincial government of Negros Occidental also received its first batch of the US-made Moderna vaccines at 10,700 doses, and 10,000 vials of Sinovac via Cebu Pacific Air yesterday.
The arrival of the Moderna and Sinovac vaccines for the province was timely because the supply of 1,200 doses of Sinovac and 50 doses of Johnson and Johnson’s Janssen of the provincial government are about to be consumed.
A vial of Moderna is equivalent to 10 doses.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said yesterday that the newly-arrived vaccines will be used for the inoculation of those belonging in the A1 to A3 categories, especially senior citizens.
“We want the local government units to step up the vaccination of the A2 category, or senior citizens, where they are lagging behind,” Diaz said and attributed the low turnout to the mobility and vaccine hesitance.
The Covax facility of the World Health Organization delivered recently more than three million doses of Moderna vaccines to the country, and Negros Occidental and Bacolod City received 10,700 doses each.
Because of its storage requirements, Diaz said they are still evaluating if the inoculation of Moderna shots could be done, either at the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City, or the Negros Residences in Bacolod City, although the LGUs can request for it if they have the required storage equipment.
With the Delta variant now locally transmitted in several regions of the country, including Region 6, the “demand for vaccines is greater than its supply,” Diaz said.
He added that the supply of vaccines to some LGUs came in trickles. But he said the Department of Health Western Visayas is happy with the vaccination performance of Negros Occidental.
Asked why the Delta variant has not yet entered the province, Diaz said, “I think that it speaks a lot on the practices of Negros Occidental,” adding that the province has placed the right logistical tools, including early detection, isolation and treatment since the pandemic started.
He also pointed out that the provincial government is very supportive of the different LGUs and acknowledged the provincial, city, and municipal health offices for working tirelessly in the fight against Covid-19.*
