By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental topped in Western Visayas during the three-day national COVID-19 vaccination drive dubbed as “Bayanihan Bakunahan” with 213,291 persons vaccinated, records from the Regional Vaccination Center of the Department of Health-Western Visayas (DOH-6) showed.

The province also exceeded its target of 150,000 or a daily target of 50,000.

On November 29, Negros Occidental vaccinated 68,911; November 30 – 71,012; and on December 1 – 73,368.

Bacolod City vaccinated 70,752 persons, exceeding its target of 66,171 persons jabbed.

Iloilo province logged 134,500. Its target is 270, 000.

Iloilo City, with a target of 18,000, recorded 21,208 persons vaccinated

The other provinces and their performances during the vaccination campaign are as follows:

• Aklan, with a target of 79,590 persons, reported 29,459 jabbed
• Antique reported 51,150 persons jabbed of its target of 45,000
• Capiz, with a target of 133,575, reported 51,699 vaccinated persons
• Guimaras reported 20,282 persons jabbed of its 28,695 target

Western Visayas, in the same report, logged 592,341 persons vaccinated. The region has a target of 791,034.

Negros Occidental’s  provincial administrator, Atty. Rayfrando Diaz, said the mass vaccination in the province is “very successful.”

“Regionwide, Negros Occidental contributed a lot to the vaccination program by the national government,” Diaz said.

He also thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for the vaccines that were made available to all Negrenses.

The vaccinees were given the right to choose what vaccine brand they want as all brands were made available to them, he added.

Diaz also said that even before the three-day national vaccination drive at least two weeks before “we have improved our vaccination program.”

“We will try to convince more people to get vaccinated because it is for their own good,” he said, adding the provincial government will still continue their vaccination program pointing out they want to achieve the 70 percent herd immunity at the soonest possible time.

“Our active cases have dropped significantly because of our intensified vaccination program,” he added./DGB, WDJ