Bacolod to get 650k doses of COVID-19 vaccine

By Dolly Yasa

 

BACOLOD City – Mayor Evelio Leonardia said the city will procure 650,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccines.

This is a giant leap towards realizing our vaccination goals, Leonardia said in a statement Wednesday.

“I’ve signed a deal with this Oxford-British firm which means that a very substantial number of our population can be vaccinated as soon as this product hits Philippine shores,” the mayor said

“While I was that excited to make this announcement earlier, I withheld because I had to honor the confidentiality clause that was standard in all their contracts.”

But when he was informed that some quarters were already making public the details of the deal, Leonardia said he sought AstraZeneca’s consent first before making this announcement.

“This also means that, per CNN reports, we are in the top 5 cities nationwide along with Davao, Quezon, Makati, and Manila in terms of vaccine availment,” Leonardia further said.

Meanwhile, Bacolod continues to record a decreasing trend in the number of COVID-19 positive cases in the City, the latest only being 0.52 percent – or less than one percent – based on the data of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC)-Task Force.

The less-than-one-percent turnout released on January 10 was derived from 191 specimens sent to the DOH-accredited molecular laboratories.

As of January 11, Bacolod has already tested a total of 49,920 individuals with six operational molecular laboratories in the city.

“We have consistently maintained our fresh cases to a single digit and we have also maintained our testing average of 160 to 200, and sometimes 200 to 300 per day when there are no holidays,” said EOC deputy for medical and data assessment Dr. Chris Sorongon.

He added: “This is to dispel rumors that our COVID-19 cases dropped because we did not perform testing.”

Out of 61 barangays in Bacolod, 49 barangays have been declared “COVID-free” for two weeks as of January 7, EOC data also showed.

Despite these rosy figures, Sorongon reminded the public to always observe minimum health protocols, such as wearing of face masks and face shields, frequent washing of hands, and observance of physical distancing.

“Let’s not be complacent and let’s always be responsible,” the doctor said.

The city government remains steadfast in testing probables, close contacts, and returning residents as part of its efforts to curb COVID-19 transmission.

The Bacolod Respiratory Outpatient (BRO) Center also continues to offer free consultation and free swabbing to individuals who show COVID-19 symptoms per physician’s diagnosis.

“We would like to sustain what we have gained in December to January throughout the year 2021. We are hopeful that 2021 will bring out the best for us and that Bacolod will be a ‘COVID-free’ city. We are seeing the light as mentioned by Mayor Evelio Leonardia,” Sorongon said. (With a report from PIO)