DOH: 756 health workers inoculated on first day
Galvez gets cold after taking Sinovac shot
The Department of Health (DOH) said it is “content and happy” that the country has already started its vaccination program against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), inoculating 756 healthcare workers on the first day.
“Ang tagal-tagal po natin hinintay and we are now vaccinating our healthcare workers na talagang sila naman po ang pinaka-importanteng mabakunahan (We have waited a long time but we are now vaccinating our healthcare workers who are really the most important to be vaccinated),” said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in a press briefing on Tuesday, March 2.
Vergeire said they appreciate the support of healthcare workers on the vaccination program.
“We saw that healthcare workers voluntarily had themselves vaccinated yesterday. Although our numbers are not yet that high, we are expecting and hoping that for the coming days, among the different hospitals, we will see an increase (in numbers) to protect our healthcare workers,” she said.
Vergeire expects that the number of healthcare workers to be inoculated will rise as vaccination will start on other hospitals Tuesday, March 2.
On the first day of the vaccination program, Vergeire said 20 people experienced minor adverse reactions.
They experienced pain in the injection site, some experienced itching and rashes, headache, nausea, and increase in blood pressure.
“Lahat po sila ay namonitor. Lahat po sila ay na managed accordingly, and lahat po sila ay umuwi, walang inadmit sa hospital (They were all monitored and managed accordingly. They all went home, no one was admitted to the hospital)," she said.
The DOH spokesperson assured that the hospitalization of those who will experience adverse reactions will be shouldered by the government.
"Considering that all of these vaccines are under development, considering that we have received and used a vaccine under EUA (emergency use authorization), the government is responsible for these adverse events that may occur,” she said.
“Huwag lang na may gross negligence talaga (as long as there is no gross negligence) on the part of the manufacturer and also the healthcare worker,” she added.
Galvez suffers cold, runny nose
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., meanwhile, bared on Tuesday, March 2, that he must have experienced a mild reaction after being inoculated with the COVID-19 from China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd.
Speaking at the continuation of the government's vaccination rollout in Marikina City, Galvez brushed off the cold and runny nose that he got after taking the Sinovac jab during the initial vaccination rollout at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila on Monday.
“Ako nabakunahan po ako kahapon, wala po akong naramdaman. Sipon lang, parang ano lang, pero nakita niyo nandito ako sa inyo ngayon. Walang gaanong adverse effect (I was vaccinated yesterday [Monday], I felt nothing. I only had colds but as you see, I am here today. I did not experience any adverse effect),” he said.
Meanwhile, he implied that another official who also took the Sinovac shot developed an adverse effect after getting a fever.
"'Yung mga kasama ko sa PGH na nabakunahan, isa lang po ang medyo nag-adverse effect pero lahat po kami wala po kaming gaano. Normal lang daw po iyon na lagnatin sabi ni [NTF medical adviser] Dr. Ted Herbosa (Among those who were with me at the PGH who also got vaccinated, only one experienced an adverse effect but the rest of us are fine. It's normal to develop a fever according to Dr. Ted Herbosa),” he said.
“Kapag nilagnat ka, ibig sabihin lumalaban ang katawan mismo, ibig sabihin ume-epekto ang vaccine (If you get fever, it means your body is fighting and the vaccine is taking effect),” he added.
Galvez did not mention the official who likely developed an adverse effect but among those vaccinated with Galvez at PGH were Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, PGH director and the first recipient of the Sinovac vaccine in a legal vaccination in the country; Dr. Edsel Salvana, an infectious disease specialist; Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Director Eric Domingo; Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos; and NTF medical adviser Dr. Herbosa.
Medical experts, however, have yet to confirm whether the colds experienced by Galvez was really a mild reaction after he took the Sinovac vaccine.
Galvez personally witnessed the vaccination of at least 250 healthcare workers at the Marikina City Sports Complex on Tuesday as part of the sustained efforts of the government to inoculate medical frontline workers using China's donated vaccines.
Among those vaccinated were personnel from the Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center including Dr. Rocky Dizon, head of internal medicine; Dr. Emerson Chua, an anesthesiologist; Dr. Flordeliza Grana, a pediatric surgeon; Dr. Alih Bryan Caris, a general surgeon; and Dr. Karlos Noel Aleta, a medical specialist III.
The DOH initially distributed Sinovac vaccines in six hospitals in Metro Manila on Monday, March 1.
These were in Philippine General Hospital in Manila, Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center in Caloocan City, Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City, Philippine National Police General Hospital in Quezon City, Victoriano Luna Medical Center in Quezon City, and Lung Center of the Philippines also located in Quezon City.
On Tuesday, March 2, other hospitals in Metro Manila also received the vaccines. These were in Sta. Ana Hospital in Manila, Pasig City General Hospital in Pasig City, Amang Rodriguez Medical Center in Marikina City, Pasay City General Hospital, and Taguig-Pateros District Hospital.