Another official gets fever?

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. bared on Tuesday, March 2, that he must have experienced a mild reaction after being inoculated with a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) jab from China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd.

Speaking at the continuation of the government's vaccination rollout in Marikina City, Galvez brushed off the colds 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 , 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 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 were 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 umeepekto ang vaccine (If you get fever, it means your body is fighting and he 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 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.