A health worker receives the Sinovac Biotech’s Coronavac vaccine on the first day of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) inoculation drive in the Philippines, at the Lung Center of the Philippines, Quezon City, Metro Manila, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez
MANILA, Philippines — Health Chief Francisco Duque III on Tuesday asked medical workers to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their patients from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
“I beg of our healthcare workers, magpabakuna na po tayo. Huwag na po tayo magduda o magalinlangan o magkaroon ng agam-agam dahil ang pinakamagandang bakuna ay iyong andito na. Ginagawa ng gobyerno nagpupursige, nagpupunyagi para makapasok ang bakuna na aangkatin,” Duque said over ABS-CBN News Channel.
(Please get vaccinated. Let’s not doubt or worry because the best vaccines are the ones available. The government is doing its best to get the vaccines.)
“Pero ang aking pakiusap para po magkaroon ng mas magandang serbisyo sa ating pasyente, kay Covid or non-Covid patients, mas maganda yung hindi kayo makakahawa at ang bakuna ‘yan po ang epekto. So protection ninyo ang number one naming inaaalala at pinakakaisahan,” the health chief added.
(My appeal is to improve the service for patients — COVID or non-COVID patients. We must protect ourselves from the disease and the vaccines will be effective. So your protection is our number one concern.)
The Health Secretary made the appeal because the government needs to vaccinate 1.7 million health care workers nationwide, some of whom made a preference for Western vaccines.
“We needed to inoculate 1.7 million healthcare workers. That’s why we really need our health care workers, I appeal to you to please, not to wait and get the first opportunity to get incoluted,” he said.
On Monday, the Philippines finally launched its local immunization program against Covid-19, with government officials and health workers vaccinated using the donated China-made CoronaVac.
This includes Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Director Dr. Gerardo “Gap” Legaspi, the first recipient of the Covid-19 vaccines.
The vaccine shots from China will be administered to 216,000 people in Metro Manila, Baguio City, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and Bicol.
The Sinovac vaccines will also be delivered to Cebu City and Davao City this March.