BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
As Metro Manila nears 85 vaccination rate, the League of Provinces of the Philippines is asking the national government for them to be also given attention in the distribution of vaccines, disclosed Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.
Lacson noted that the overall new cases in the country is no longer in Metro Manila anymore, but the regions are now contributing to the cases.
More vaccines should be rolled out now to the provinces, following the strategy applied to the National Capital Region before, which was given priority in the distribution of vaccines, Lacson said
Now that cases have further spread in other regions, they should follow the same strategy employed at NCR, by giving more vaccines, especially in Region 6, he added.
In a few weeks, Lacson reported that Negros Occidental will reach 18 percent of the targeted 70 percent population to be fully vaccinated, although he admitted that it is still “very slow”, since the focus of vaccination is still at Metro Manila.
He said the province vaccination drive is now open to all, except those 18 and below. This will enhance our 70 percent target to be immunized, Lacson said.
On September 24, a total of 108,450 doses of Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccine were received by the provincial government of Negros Occidental and highly-urbanized Bacolod City.
Of the vaccines that arrived, the provincial government of Negros Occidental got a share of 62,200 doses, while Bacolod City received 46,250 doses.
Upon arrival of vaccines, Lacson said they are being dispatched immediately to various local government units, who are even asking for more.
He noted a daily average of triple digits in number of active cases in the province.
With 3,598 active cases, as of Sept. 25, Negros Occidental is now approaching to the highest recorded cases, which was almost 4,000 cases, in March this year.
Even those vaccinated are getting hit now, because of the local transmission of highly-infectious Delta variant, Lacson, in an interview with Tatak RMN, said.
We have more fatalities now, and in most cases, unvaccinated, he also said.*
