PROTECTED. A resident of Negros Occidental is being vaccinated against Covid-19 in this undated photo. On Wednesday (April 6, 2022), Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson urged local government units lagging in the Covid-19 vaccination campaign to shape up. (PNA Bacolod file photo)
BACOLOD CITY – Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson on Wednesday urged local government units (LGUs) lagging in the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination campaign to shape up.
“(They should) step up. If your neighboring LGUs can do it, why not you?” he told reporters in an interview.
Only 12 out of the 31 cities and municipalities in the province have reached the 70 percent and above target vaccination coverage rate.
Of the number, five LGUs have been placed under Alert Level 1, the lowest category in the country’s Covid-19 alert level system, by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) upon the endorsement of the Department of Health (DOH).
These are the municipalities of Enrique B. Magalona, Pulupandan and San Enrique as well as the component cities of La Carlota and Sagay.
“This is good the DOH and the national IATF allowed some of our LGUs to be lowered to Alert Level 1. That should encourage other LGUs under Alert Level 2 to do better if they want their levels to go down,” Lacson said.
The seven others cities and municipalities are expected to be de-escalated to Alert Level 1 starting April 16.
Lacson also reminded the barangay officials of their obligation to improve the Covid-19 vaccination coverage in their respective localities.
As of April 5, data from the Department of Health-Western Visayas (DOH-6) showed Negros Occidental has fully vaccinated 910,010 individuals aged 18 to 59, or 63.65 percent of the 1.429 million target vaccinees.
Some 1.041 million Negrenses, or 72.62 percent, have already availed of the first dose in the said age group.
Among the senior citizens or the 60 and above age group, some 131,610 individuals, or 48.82 percent of the target 269,602 vaccinees have been fully vaccinated while 135,913 elderly persons, or 50.41 percent, have availed of the first dose. (PNA)
