By: Carla Gomez - @inquirerdotnetInquirer Visayas / 07:49 PM January 05, 2021

BACOLOD CITY—Negros Occidental may have to wait until February to get access to coronavirus vaccines.

A former legislator, Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, said he was coordinating with Carlito Galvez, COVID-19 response chief enforcer and vaccine czar, for the supply of vaccines for the province in addition to those that would be provided by the national government.

He said individuals and private companies could purchase the vaccines. “The vaccines are almost here,” he said. Two vaccines—Sinovac made in China and Sputnik V made in Russia—were among the first vaccines expected to be available in the Philippines, he said.

The makers of the vaccines had applied for Food and Drug Administration approval and were expected to get this in 21 days, according to the former congressman.

Benitez, who is not a doctor, said Sinovac was safe because it uses a live coronavirus to stimulate antibody response.

The two leading vaccines in the world—Pfizer and Moderna—use synthetic, or lab-grown, viruses, said Benitez.

“If we want to be safe and free of COVID-19 we have to vaccinate as many people as we can,” he said.

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said an initial P30 million can be taken from provincial government funds for the vaccines.

Lacson said he has signed a nondisclosure agreement for coronavirus vaccines, but did not elaborate.