DUMAGUETE CITY – Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo has reassured his constituents that the provincial government, through its Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), will be procuring its own coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines.
Capitol spokesperson Bimbo Miraflor told reporters late Thursday that the governor said the province would purchase once the vaccine “is available for rollout by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the DOH (Department of Health).”
The assurance comes amid questions from Oriental Negrenses when will the vaccine be made available here as other local government units (LGUs) have already started allocating funds or making arrangements with pharmaceutical companies for its acquisition.
Miraflor said the governor will source the vaccine purchase allotment from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PDRRM) Fund and “other available funds of the provincial government subject to existing rules and guidelines”.
There is no definite amount yet to be spent for the vaccines, and it all depends on the availability of funds without hampering the implementation of other programs, projects, and activities of the province, he said.
“To be safe, given our limited resources, we will wait for our finance managers to assess our capability,” he added.
As of the latest count, the province has a total of 1,020 positive Covid-19 cases, broken down into 180 active infections, 810 recoveries, and 30 deaths. (PNA)
