BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
With the arrival of more Covid-19 vaccines, Negros Occidental officials who are senior citizens, led by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, trooped to the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City, to get vaccinated against the coronavirus disease 2019.
Joining Lacson in the inoculation rollout were Manapla Mayor Manuel Escalante Jr., Kabankalan City Mayor Pedro Zayco, Bago City Mayor Nicholas Yulo, Cauayan Mayor John Rey Tabujara, La Castellana Mayor Rhumyla Nicor-Mangilimutan, Sangguniang Panlalawigan Board Members Sixto Pal Guanzon, Victor Javellana, Manuel Frederick Ko, and Araceli Somosa, and Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena.
Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, said Hinobaan Mayor Ernesto Estrao was not vaccinated because he had hypertension.
Escalante City Mayor Melecio “Beboy” Yap was the first mayor of Negros Occidental to be vaccinated with Sinovac vaccine.
Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia got his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on April 17.
Tumimbang also said that some mayors have deferred their inoculations, pending the advice of their doctors.
But he urged them not to delay it further, since Negros Occidental was included in the risk classification of the Department of Health.
Escalante, 64, meanwhile, enjoined senior citizens in his town to get vaccinated, citing the very low acceptance of the vaccine in Manapla. “Hopefully with this vaccination, we can work with confidence,” Escalante said, adding that he did not feel any adverse effect after his vaccination.*
