Two of the physicians who took the initial shots of Sinovac’s CoronaVac at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City Monday, March 8, said they had themselves vaccinated not only to protect themselves but their families and patients as well.
The CLMMRH kicked off the local vaccination program with the inoculation of an initial nine medical and administrative front-liners inside the hospital’s emerging infectious disease facility.
Starting Tuesday up to the end of the week, the CLMMRH aims to vaccinate about 150 personnel a day, which would mean utilizing an estimated 800 doses for the initial jabs, which will be followed by the second shots after 28 days, Dr. Julius Drilon, medical center chief of CLMMRH, said.
Dr. Carina Frayco, an infectious diseases specialist, said it is vital for her work as a medical front-liner to get protection against COVID-19.
“As an IDS, I am grateful that I’m able to participate and especially I’m one of the first who received the Sinovac. This is important in my line of work, in my line of duty as a front-liner, and also for my own protection, for my family, and for the whole community,” Frayco said in an interview after taking the first shot.
“Although it will be a long time that we can achieve herd immunity, but I’m happy that step by step, or what we call baby steps, we can achieve our goal to end this pandemic,” she added.
At the CLMMRH, only about 50 percent of the 1,743 hospital staff has consented to avail of Sinovac shots for varying reasons – some are already above 60 years old, some have existing medical conditions, and some are hesitant because of the brand, Frayco said.
“I hope that in the next few days after they will see that I’m okay, that I didn’t experience major side effects, it will encourage healthcare workers to take part in the vaccination program. We should be grateful for what we have now if we want to be protected,” she said.
Dr. Joan Cerrada, planning chief of the Hospital Emergency Incident Command System COVID-19 Response Team, said that having access to the vaccine is a privilege for everyone since it is given for free.
“We don’t have to pay for it, grab the opportunity. We need to develop herd immunity and we can only do that if many of our population is vaccinated. They say, 60 to 70 percent. Let’s help each other, let’s help end this pandemic. Get vaccinated,” she added.
Cerrada, a Gawad Bayaning Kalusugan awardee in the health care and case management of COVID-19 patients in Philippine hospitals, stressed the need for vaccination to have more protection against the deadly virus.
“I need to have myself protected, my family and my patients, and I’m proud of that,” she said.
She urged her fellow healthcare workers to take the vaccine and contribute to the measures that the government and the global community are doing to put an end to the health crisis.
“I have studied all the measures that we need to do to end this pandemic. We have had everything. Social distancing, face shield, face mask, everything but it’s still there. The one that is missing is the vaccination, and that’s what we need to do to have layers of protection against the virus,” she added. – NLG
