As it awaits the arrival of the coronavirus vaccines, the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) expressed Thursday, Feb. 11, its readiness to implement its inoculation program for its employees.
PGH chief Dr. Gerardo Legaspi said that they are now “ready to launch” their vaccination program for their staff.
“In cooperation with the plans of the Department of Health and IATF (Interagency Task Force) and following their protocols, we have launched our vaccination process and following the registration, we are now ready to launch the actual vaccination next week,” said Legaspi during the Malacanang press briefing on Thursday, Feb. 11.
More than 5,000 PGH employees are expected to receive COVID-19 vaccines, he said.
“We expect around 5,400 vaccinees but with a leeway of around 20 percent just in case there will be non-appearance,” he said.
PGH Spokesperson Dr. Jonas Del Rosario, who contracted COVID-19 in July 2020, will be the first to be vaccinated in PGH as a “symbolic gesture of the final phase of their personal fight against COVID,” said Legaspi.
Legaspi said that they do not have preference as to the brand of the COVID-19 vaccines, as long as it is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Maliwanag pong sinabi namin sa aming mga empleyado na kapag ang bakuna ay inapprove ng FDA, we will consider it safe and optimum. And whatever it is, we will have ourselves vaccinated (We clearly told our employees that when the vaccine is approved by the FDA, we will consider it safe and optimum. And whatever it is, we will have ourselves vaccinated),” he said.
Early this month, Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the country is set to receive 117,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines in the second or third week of February through the COVAX facility. This vaccine was already granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) by the Philippine FDA.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, meanwhile, announced that the Chinese government has donated 600,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines developed by Sinovac Biotech, which are set to arrive in the country on Feb. 23.
The Philiipine FDA has yet to issue an EUA for this vaccine brand.