Negros Occidental gov asks nat’l gov’t 3M COVID-19 vaccines for 1.5M Negrenses

BACOLOD CITY –– Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has asked the national government for 3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for 1.5 million residents of Negros Occidental.

The 1.5 million Negrenses represent 70 percent of the province’s population that the national government promised to provide free COVID-19 vaccines, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.

They will rely on former Rep. Alfredo Benitez, provincial consultant on economic affairs, to help secure a reasonable share of the AstraZeneca vaccines for Negros Occidental.

Benitez is at the forefront of the negotiations with the national government because he stays in Manila most of the time and has a close relationship with President Duterte and Secretary Carlito Galvez, the country’s vaccine czar, Diaz said.

“The primary consideration now is the registration. We have to help our local government units register the persons eligible for vaccination based on the guidelines of the DOH (Department of Health),” Diaz said.

The deadline for registration is the end of February.

The DOH will provide all the consumables, such as injections, alcohol, and cotton, for the COVID-19 vaccines from the national government for free.

“All the waste from the vaccination, such as vials, would be collected and returned to the DOH for proper disposal,” Diaz said.

Edited by LZB