Most local government units in Negros Occidental are expected to exert more efforts in their vaccination drive as Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson yesterday described the results of the first two days of the simultaneous province-wide inoculation on June 2 and 3 as “very poor”.
Based on data provided by the governor, only 7,318 were vaccinated, or 27 percent of its target vaccinees of 23,305.
On June 2, there were 3,872 Negrenses vaccinated, and 3,446 the next day.
But the LGUs of EB Magalona, Candoni, Ilog, Murcia, Pontevedra, San Enrique, Cadiz, Sagay, and Silay exceeded their targets on the first week.
The towns of EB Magalona, Candoni, and San Enrique, as well as Sagay City, are among the seven LGUs of Negros Occidental placed under Alert Level 1 until June 15 by the National Inter-Agency Task Force.
Negros Occidental needs to vaccinate 70 percent of its target general population, and 80 percent of the targeted senior citizens for its current Alert Level 2 status to be deescalated to Alert Level 1.
The province-wide vaccination drive will resume on June 9, 10, 16, 17, 21 and 22.
Negros Occidental has a remaining target for vaccination against COVID-19 of 186,436 Negrenses, and 51,310 senior citizens, as of May 28.
To entice more Negrenses to get vaccinated, the provincial government of Negros Occidental offers cash incentives to barangay health workers, who can convince more people to be inoculated, and rice assistance to those who will be fully vaccinated./GB
