The mobile vaccination team of the Provincial Health Office (IPHO) in Negros Oriental has started assisting local government units (LGUs) in their inoculation rollout against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The team, led by Assistant Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion, on Wednesday proceeded to the southern town of Sta. Catalina to help local health workers administer the vaccines to eligible residents.

During the start of the mobile vaccination team’s visit to the LGUs on Tuesday, the group went to the municipality of San Jose, about half an hour’s drive from the provincial capital.

Estacion said a team of doctors, nurses, and nursing staff from the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH) will augment local counterparts to speed up the vaccination of residents.

Records at the PHO show that as of Aug. 31, those who received the first dose of the vaccine totaled 102,950 while recipients of the second dose, including the one-shot Janssen, reached 98,845.

The fully vaccinated individuals represent about 10.8 percent of the targeted population of 909,939 for vaccination.

Meanwhile, this city received on Monday 8,000 additional vaccines directly from the national IATF.

Negros Oriental also received 23,500 doses and the nearby island-province of Siquijor got 8,000 vials.

The shipment arrived via the Sibulan-Dumaguete airport with Estacion, City Health Officer Dr. Maria Sarah Talla; Dr. Socrates Villamor, provincial chief of the Department of Health in Negros Oriental; and other officials in attendance to receive the vaccines. (PNA)