Hospitals in Metro Manila that will receive the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility said it's "all systems go" for their vaccination rollouts.
The Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City said preparations for its vaccination rollout has been smooth.
Dr. Norberto Francisco, spokesman of the Lung Center of the Philippines, said hospital staff have been practicing the vaccination process daily, whether as a “whole or each individual segment.”
“Kasi nga, maselan ito at saka surgical precision ang kilos ng mga tao kaya bawat munting hakbang talagang may nakatutok, may nakabantay, may nag mo-monitor, may nag a-audit, may mga nag ta-time (The entire process must be carefully done, people need to move with surgical precision that’s why there’s a person stationed in every step to monitor, to audit, to time the process),” Francisco said in an interview with DZMM Teleradyo on Tuesday, Feb. 16.
“Practice makes perfect,” he added.
Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital (Tala Hospital) in Caloocan, for its part, said it had so far conducted four simulation exercises for its vaccination rollout.
The hospital’s medical center chief, Dr. Alfonso Victorino Famaran, said the entire vaccination process will take about 53 minutes per person from entrance to exit.
The 53 minutes already includes the 30-minute observation period, according to Famaran.
Both hospitals are also stepping up their information campaign on vaccines to convince their remaining personnel who still have reservations about the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Lung Center of the Philippines has about 83 to 90 percent vaccination acceptance among its employees, according to Francisco.
Tala Hospital has 90 percent vaccination acceptance, Famaran said.
“Pinupuntahan po namin yung mga empleyado na nagsasabing ‘ayaw namin’ at ‘hindi ho kami sigurado’ sa mga opisina nila at doon kami nag le-lecture tungkol po dito para mahikayat po sila na magpabakuna (We went to the offices of those who said ‘I don’t want to be vaccinated’ and ‘I’m not sure,’ and gave them a lecture about the vaccines to encourage them to get vaccinated),” Famaran told DZMM Teleradyo.
Francisco said the Lung Center of the Philippines has conducted fora and hospital-wide information campaigns and has talked personally to employees who have yet to decide whether to get the COVID-19 vaccine or not.
“Education is the best means for us to convince them,” Francisco said.
He encouraged employees to get vaccinated, saying that it is a “chance of a lifetime.”