The Negros Occidental provincial government has reported high acceptance of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines among Negrenses with at least 94 percent utilization of Pfizer-BioNTech jabs delivered to the local government units (LGUs) this October.

Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said in a statement on Wednesday the current roll-out of the US-made vaccines has largely eased the province’s burden of persuading Negrenses to get vaccinated.

“The vaccine utilization rate indicates a high acceptance rate and boosts our vaccination campaign,” he said.

On October 4, Negros Occidental received an additional 107,640 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines from the national government through the Department of Health.

Diaz, who sits as action officer of the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force, said from October 2 to 12, the Provincial Health Office has delivered more than 6,400 vials or 38,400 doses of Pfizer vaccines to all 31 cities and municipalities in the province.

Based on the report, the LGUs were able to utilize about 94 percent of the delivered vaccines, and a record high of 100 percent utilization rate was noted in 16 cities and municipalities from October 5 to 6.

The provincial government aims to vaccinate 1.8 million Negrenses by the end of 2021 with the hope of achieving herd immunity to protect the population against the rising Covid-19 cases and more contagious variants of the virus.

As of October 13, Negros Occidental has logged 31,453 Covid-19 cases, including 4,443 active cases; 25,999 recoveries; and 1,011 deaths. (PNA)