Negros Occidental received for the first time yesterday vaccines from Pfizer BioNTech, composed of 1,950 vials, and dispatched by the Department of Health, Provincial Incident Management Team chief Zeaphard Gerhart Caelian said.
Each vial of Pfizer vaccines is equivalent to six doses, Caelian said, bringing to 11,700 the doses available for inoculation to Negrenses in the priority category.
The vaccines were placed in two boxes and airlifted by a Cebu Pacific passenger plane from Manila that arrived at 8:14 a.m. yesterday at the Bacolod-Silay Airport.
Caelian said the 975 vials were brought to the ultra-low cold storage of the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City, while the remaining 975 were stored at the Provincial Capitol cold storage facility in Bacolod City.
To further speed up the COVID-19 inoculation of Negrenses, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson issued a memorandum to all mayors, and city and municipal health officers, that details the guidelines to improve the vaccination rollout, in anticipation of more vaccines arriving in the province.
Caelian said a simultaneous three-day vaccination rollout in all 31 local government units started June 17 until Saturday. If there are vaccines left unused by an LGU, these should be returned immediately to Capitol so the stocks can be used by other LGUs, he said.
That’s the only way to ensure that all LGUs will consume the vaccines given to them, Caelian added.
The vaccination of Capitol employees is also ongoing at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City, Caelian said.
MASS VACCINATION
In a memorandum he issued to all local chief executives of Negros Occidental, Lacson said the Provincial Health Office, upon receipt of the vaccines from the DOH, will schedule the vaccine rollout in the LGUs, and issue an official list of vaccine allocation per LGU, to be relayed to mayors and their health officers.
The memorandum states that mayors and city or municipal health officers will prepare the venue, vaccinators, and vaccination team; prepare, screen, and upload the names of all vaccinees to a designated DOH website; and submit the list to the PHO a day before the inoculation rollout.
The PHO was tasked to deliver the exact number of vaccines required per LGU, and turn these over only if the LGU has a ready vaccination venue, vaccinators, and vaccination team.
It was also directed to monitor the vaccination process, through the nurses assigned at the Hospital Operations Department, complete all reports and validate data, and gather all disinfected waste materials for proper disposal.
On June 16, Negros Occidental logged 161 new cases, 175 recoveries, and eight deaths. The 161 fresh infections brought to 1,771 the total active cases in the province, PIMT records show. – GB
