By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga yet

Negros Occidental may reach herd immunity against coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, by February of next year.

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said it is possible if the provincial government distributes 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Negrenses per month.

Earlier, the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) pegged the ideal herd immunity rate at 70 percent of an area’s total population as being vaccinated.

Currently, Negros Occidental has reached about 15 percent or about 300,000 Negrenses who have received their COVID-19 jabs.

However, the governor said with the IATF now considering vaccination for 12 to 17 years old, it could now go beyond 70 percent.

Local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental have also resorted to creative ways to encourage their residents to have themselves vaccinated such as offering freebies or holding raffle draws.

The latest to introduce rewards is the La Carlota City government which conducted a raffle draw for those who registered to get their COVID-19 vaccines.

The city government is offering three brand new tricycles, three units of laptops and three high-end mobile phones.

Lacson added LGUs were given a free hand to entice its respective constituents to get the vaccine./DGB, WDJ