By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Seventy five percent or nine out of 12 COVID-19 related fatalities in the town of Manapla in Negros Occidental are unvaccinated, according to the Municipal Health Office (MHO).

Based on data from the MHO, the nine fatalities they recorded in the past few weeks had not received even a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Manapla Mayor Manolet Escalante has also expressed alarm as previously they recorded only three COVID-related fatalities last year, however, it quickly rose up to nine, then to 12 just recently.

Escalante again appealed to the town residents to avail of the provincial government’s vaccination program in order to give them the protection they need against COVID-19.

Earlier, Pulupandan Mayor Miguel Peña also made an appeal to their own residents to get vaccinated after their MHO recorded 10 COVID-related fatalities in just two weeks, among them a former town councilor.

As of yesterday, Manapla has recorded a total of 357 COVID-19 cases, of which 41 are active cases, 304 recoveries and 12 deaths.

Meanwhile, Negros Occidental recorded 120 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, bringing the total active cases in the province to 2,034, based on the Department of Health Region 6’s COVID-19 Regional Case Bulletin No. 534./DGB, WDJ