BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The provincial government of Negros Occidental yesterday received a shipment of 1,950 vials of Pfizer vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Zeaphard Caelian, head of the Provincial Incident Management Team (PIMT), said the vials were equivalent to 11,700 doses and can vaccinate 5,850 people.
Caelian said the vaccines arrived at the Bacolod-Silay Airport via a Cebu Pacific flight around 8:14 a.m. The vaccines were then stored in two specialized boxes – one box containing 975 vials were transported to the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital (TLJPH) in Silay City, while the remaining were delivered to the provincial government’s ultra-low cold storage facility in Bacolod City.
“This is the first batch of the Pfizer vaccines received by the province,” Caelian said.
He added that they are expecting additional brands such as Moderna vaccines (slated to arrive in Metro Manila soon), although he said Negros Occidental’s allocation is yet to be determined.
He furthered that he will leave the decision to the Provincial Health Office as to which category they will distribute the Pfizer vaccines.
Currently, Negros Occidental is vaccinating those under the A1 (frontline health workers), A2 (senior citizens), and A3 (persons with comorbidities) categories.
With the arrival of the Pfizer vaccines, Caelian hopes that vaccine demand would further increase, especially as Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has become “quite concerned” over the rising COVID-related deaths in the province.
Caelian again encouraged Negrenses to get vaccinated, pointing out that even though there is still a small chance that a vaccinated individual can be infected with COVID-19, the vaccine can help reduce the chance of hospitalization and even death.
Meanwhile, Caelian said they launched the simultaneous mass vaccination in the province’s 31 local government units (LGUs) yesterday morning.
Caelian said the PIMT itself made the deliveries to the LGUs under the strict supervision of Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz.
Caelian said LGUs must consume the vaccines given to them, and any unused vaccines must be returned. He pointed out the new system eliminates vaccine spoilage.
Around 13 vehicles, most of them ambulances, delivered the vaccines to the LGUs and were then utilized to pick up the unused jabs in the afternoon./PN
