BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – “You want to hold fiestas? Get vaccinated first.”
This was the response of Negros Occidental provincial administrator Rayfrando Diaz when asked if local government units are now allowed to hold festivals because cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the province are dwindling.
As of March 14, active COVID-19 cases were down to 65 and the province has been recording single-digit cases these past few days.
Despite the improving situation, however, Negros Occidental remains remain under pandemic Alert Level 2 because the province has yet to meet the Department of Health’s (DOH) required vaccination threshold.
The COVID-19 vaccination threshold should be above 70 percent of the target general population and 80 percent senior citizen coverage for an area to be downgraded to Alert Level 1 or the “new normal”.
Under Alert Level 2, establishments or activities must be undertaken at a maximum of 50 percent indoor venue capacity for fully-vaccinated individuals, and 70 percent for outdoor venue capacity.
“We need to cooperate with others, that is why ang aton mga senior citizens magpabakuna na,” Diaz said.
People will not be forced to get the COVID-19 vaccine, he clarified, but added that if vaccination stalls while the province is downgraded to Alert Level 1, it could again worsen Negros Occidental’s COVID-19 situation.
According to DOH Region 6, as of March 13 Negros Occidental already fully-vaccinated 58.39 percent of the target population.
Fully-vaccinated senior citizens in the province are at 55.28 percent.
The figures are now compared to the province’s capital Bacolod City which already fully-vaccinated 127.53 percent of the target population, and 146.40 percent of its senior citizens./PN
