BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental’s Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson is waiting his turn to be inoculated with a vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Lacson has been included in the government’s adjusted priority list together with other governors in Western Visayas, Mayor Evelio Leonardia of Bacolod City and 21 mayors from towns and cities deemed by the Department of Health (DOH) as “critical and high risk” areas.
In an interview yesterday, Lacson said he was waiting for the go signal of Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, although he requested that he receive the vaccine alongside senior citizens.
He said he was more than convinced now that the China-made CoronaVac vaccine was effective. He pointed out that he could get the second dose in four weeks compared to the AstraZeneca vaccine which would take at least eight to 12 weeks.
Lacson also underscored that the AstraZeneca vaccines ordered by the local government units are tentatively scheduled to arrive in July, and therefore if he took the AstraZeneca jab early it would be difficult to see if additional supplies would be immediately available for the second dose.
Meanwhile, Leonardia received his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine at the Bacolod City Government Center over the weekend./PN
