VICTORIAS Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, who is the new president of the Association of Chief Executives (ACE) in Negros Occidental, is urging all mayors in the province to support the call of Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson to boost inoculation drive against coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Benitez, on the sidelines of the oath-taking ceremony for the new officers of ACE-Negros Occidental at the Provincial Capitol Building in Bacolod City yesterday, July 27, said that acting Health Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire is asking local government units (LGU) to submit reports of their vaccination efforts.
“She said that if we (LGUs) have a proper strategy (against Covid-19) and it works, then (those LGUs with good numbers) will be rewarded,” he said.
Benitez noted that the reward will be allowing best performing LGUs in terms of inoculation to make the use of face masks non-mandatory in their respective areas by October or November this year.
Vergeire also assured that cash rewards will also be given to best performing LGUs although no exact amount was mentioned, the mayor also said.
Negros Occidental remains to be lagging behind in terms of inoculation in Western Visayas.
As of July 24, only 999,989 out of 1.7 million adults in Negros Occidental who are eligible for vaccination have already been fully vaccinated, the Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas reported.
This is only about 69 percent, the regional line agency said.
It added that only 107, 690, or 7.9 percent, of these fully vaccinated individuals have received booster shots.
The line agency also noted that 138,351 senior citizens in the province, or only 60.73 percent out of 269,602 who are qualified for vaccination, have already been fully inoculated.
Only 22,624 of them or 9.8 percent have received booster shots.
“We should support the provincial government (in its Covid-19) vaccination campaign as much as we can (as) it would be much easier than doing our own thing,” Benitez stressed.
In the Negros Occidental capital, the Covid-19 Action Team is now prioritizing the senior citizens, medical frontliners, and persons with comorbidities for the second booster shots.
Dr. Edwin Miraflor, head of vaccination drive of Covid-19 Action Team, said yesterday that they are eyeing to administer second booster shots to 45, 000 senior citizens in Bacolod City.
Miraflor said they will only use Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for the second booster shots.
He noted that on Tuesday, July 26, Bacolod City has launched the Pinas-Lakas: 100 days National Covid-19 Vaccination Rollout at the Bacolod Government Center (BGC) led by the City Health Office (CHO).
“We have enough vaccines to be administered for the minors (five to 11 years old, 12 to 17 years old), 18 to 59 years old, and senior citizens for first and second doses including booster shots,” Miraflor said.
Aside from the BGC, he said, the city government also opened vaccination sites in the barangays, CHO, and malls from July 25 to 31, 2022.
He added that in SM City Bacolod, the vaccination started from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. while in Ayala Malls Capitol Center it started from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Monday to Sunday.
Miraflor disclosed that Bacolod City already reached more than 135 percent of the target population eligible for vaccination.
Bacolod has one of the highest vaccination turnout in the entire region with 516, 108 or 168.7 percent of 382, 326 adult residents vaccinated.
The highly urbanized city also registered 79,162 out of 60,661 senior citizens being fully vaccinated.*