BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN / ADRIAN P. NEMES III
The provincial government of Negros Occidental will start the vaccination of those in the A4 category, or frontline personnel in essential sectors, including uniformed personnel, on July 26 to 30, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.
Diaz said the Provincial Health Office will finish first the second dose inoculation of Pfizer vaccinees at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City, before they start vaccinating Negrenses in the A4 category.
He said that the 2,900 doses of AstraZeneca, good for 1,450 vaccinees, will be administered to the essential workers.
On Monday, the provincial government received its first supply of the single dose Johnson and Johnson’s Janssen vaccines manufactured in the United States, of 14,000 vials, equivalent to 70,000 doses.
It also received 2,900 doses of AstraZeneca, which formed part of the 100,000 doses purchased by the province from AstraZeneca, through a tripartite agreement with the Department of Health.
Diaz said the rollout of 70,000 doses of Janssen for A2 and A3 categories in Negros Occidental will start July 26 to 30.
He also said that the distribution of 10,000 doses of AstraZeneca for the A2 category in the different local government units of Negros Occidental started yesterday and will end July 24.
The highly urbanized Bacolod City also received 30,000 doses of Janssen, 18,700 doses of AstraZeneca, and 2,340 doses of Pfizer vaccines on July 19.
OWF VACCINATIONS
Bacolod City started yesterday the vaccination rollout for overseas Filipino workers using Pfizer jabs.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran oversaw the rollout at the Bacolod City Government Center.
Leonardia said the vaccine rollout was held simultaneously at the lobby and the MassKara Hall.
Dr. Edwin Miraflor Jr., officer-in-charge of the City Health Office, said that OFWs with contracts or with certifications from their agencies will be prioritized.
The vaccine rollout is spearheaded by the Emergency Operations Center-Task Force and the Covid-19 Vaccination Council, both chaired by Leonardia.
Aside from Leonardia, the vaccination rollout at NGC was supervised by City Administrator Em Ang, executive director of EOC and coordinator of CoVaC, Miraflor, and Dr. Chris Sorongon, EOC deputy medical, with the assistance of vaccination doctors.
As of July 19, the CoVaC had vaccinated 66,902 Bacolod residents. Of the number, 24,040 have been fully vaccinated.
To avail of the free vaccination, those interested may register online through tinyurl.com/bcdceironline.
NEGROS ORIENTAL
Negros Oriental also received 6,650 vials of Janssen, equivalent to 33,350 doses.
The vaccines were part of the donation from Covax facility, assistant provincial health officer Dr. Liland Estacion said, adding that Janssen can also be stored like Sinovac, and will be administered to A1, A2, A3 and A4 with comorbidity priority groups.*
