File image courtesy of PIO Negros Occidental
BACOLOD CITY – The Negros Occidental provincial government has set aside PHP30 million for the procurement of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines mainly for medical front-liners.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Monday he has already signed a non-disclosure agreement with a pharmaceutical company as part of the negotiation.
“I cannot give too much details except to say that we are in the loop in getting vaccines for our province. It could be an allocation from the national government, if not, probably some of it we will have to buy,” Lacson confirmed in an interview with reporters.
He said the budget will be sourced from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management fund, but he acknowledged it is a “very little” amount.
Lacson said the earmarked fund will be just on top of the vaccine allocation that the province will get from the national government.
“It’s not the policy of the national government to leave an LGU (local government unit) behind. Nobody will be left behind. Somehow, there will be coverage for all,” he added.
In his message to the capitol employees during the year’s first flag-raising rites, Lacson said efforts to vaccinate at least the health workers and the vulnerable groups in the second quarter of the year are being set in motion.
“Be assured that the province is not lagging behind in the allocation of the vaccine for we are working and coordinating with our vaccine czar, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., with the help and assistance of our provincial consultant for economic affairs Albee Benitez…With the vaccine on the horizon, let us tread the last stretch of this crisis together,” he added.
Meanwhile, Lacson said Covid-19 cases in Negros Occidental are seen to increase anew with the lifting of the ban on the return of locally-stranded individuals (LSIs) on Jan. 2.
“I’m expecting a rise in numbers. If you look at our numbers now, it’s good. We have less (than) 200 active cases so it’s really been going down because there has been a moratorium on the arrival of LSIs,” he said.
In Negros Occidental, all LSIs are subjected to a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test upon arrival as part of the province’s health and safety protocols.
As of Jan. 3, Negros Occidental recorded 152 remaining active cases, based on the report of the Provincial Incident Management Team. (PNA)
