BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental’s Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson did not hide his disappointment over British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca’s meager release of vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The provincial government ordered 100,000 doses early this year.
According to Lacson, he understood that the United Kingdom, which is where the AstraZeneca vaccines were being manufactured, was also facing supply problems. But he said the provincial government chose AstraZeneca because they were made to believe it would be the first vaccines to be delivered this year.
“So many vaccines have come already, and we are just about to receive the AstraZeneca vaccines that we ordered,” Lacson lamented.
The initially delivery date set was July 16. It turned out this was country delivery date, not the date for vaccine delivery to Negros Occidental.
Meanwhile, both Negros Occidental and Bacolod City yesterday received their first batch of the Johnson & Johnson one-dose COVID-19 vaccine.
Negros Occidental received a total of 14,000 vials equivalent to 70,000 doses. Bacolod City, meanwhile, received 6,000 vials equivalent to 30,000 doses.
Aside from Johnson & Johnson, both the province and the city also received a new batch of AstraZeneca vaccines, although it was unclear if this was part of the vaccines they ordered or a COVAX facility donation.
Negros Occidental received 290 vials of AstraZeneca vaccines equivalent to 2,900 doses while Bacolod City received 1,870 vials equivalent to 18,700 doses.
Bacolod City also received 390 vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines equivalent to 2,340 doses./PN
