BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The provincial government of Negros Occidental will not set aside funds for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) booster shots, although funds for anti-COVID measures remain a priority, according to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.
The province will rely on the national government for booster shots, said Lacson.
A booster shot, according to the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is administered when a person has completed his vaccine series and his protection against the virus has decreased over time.
Lacson expressed disappointment over AstraZeneca Philippines’ “slow delivery” of vaccines, pointing out that of the 100,000 doses at the provincial government was supposed to receive, it received only 30,000 doses thus far.
The vaccine orders were supposed to be for health workers, according to Lacson.
But the provincial government was able to “completely inoculate” all of its health workers even before the delivery of the remaining AstraZeneca jabs, thanks to the supply sent by the Department of Health./PN
