Prov’l gov’t no issue with Covid-19 vaccine maker AstraZeneca

The Provincial Government of Negros Occidental has no issue with AstraZeneca over its COVID-19 vaccines.

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose “Bong” Lacson said the provincial government only bought a minimal number of AstraZeneca vaccines, around 50,000 doses.

The governor was asked following the statement of Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez saying the latter is not keen on paying the P98-million remaining balance for the vaccines the city had purchased during the previous administration.

“We have no problem (with AztraZeneca),” Lacson said.

It can be recalled that the pharmaceutical and biotechnology company came under criticism from the governor last year due to the meager release of the vaccines.

In July, 2021, AstraZeneca faced supply chain problems and Lacson criticized them because they were made to believe it would the first vaccines to be delivered.

BACOLOD

On Monday, Benitez said he was told by a representative of AstraZeneca about the remaining balance of the Bacolod government under the former administration, to which he replied, saying, “I will try to the best of my ability not to pay.”

“I would rather use that money for something else nga mausar sang aton pumuluyo,” the mayor Benitez said.

Benitez said the previous city government purchased from AstraZeneca 650,000 vaccines and based on record, only 216,000 were utilized.

Benitez said 434,000 AstraZeneca vaccines are left stored at the Department of Health. The city government did not accept the delivery last year because it already exceeded its vaccination target.

The problem is, Benitez added, the vaccine’s life span is only six months, and with that about 300,000 AstraZeneca vaccines of the city have expired at the DOH.* (DGB)