A total of 611 staff of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila were already vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
PGH Director Gerardo Legaspi said that 128 personnel were inoculated on the first day of vaccination rollout, while there were 483 employees were vaccinated on the second day.
“I think in the NCR, (National Capital Region) kami na ang pinakamarami ngayon. Kaninang umaga mahaba na yung pila uli (I think in the NCR, we have the highest number of (vaccinated individuals).
This morning the queue is long again),” said Legaspi in an interview over ABS-CBN Teleradyo.
Legaspi said that some doctors and nurses assigned in the hospital’s COVID-19 ward also received the vaccine.
“Marami na po sa kanila ang nabakunahan. Pati nga po yung nasa COVID area na mga nurses and doctors, sumama na rin po. Bagamat ang sabi nga ng FDA (Food and Drug Administration) sa mga directly serving the patients, baka 50 percent ang efficacy (Many of them have been vaccinated. Even the nurses and doctors assigned in the COVID area have also joined.
Although the FDA said to those directly serving the patients, the efficacy may be 50 percent),” said Legaspi.
“Nagulat kami na meron sa kanila, kinuha na po ang bakuna dahil naniniwala nga sila na kung ano yung nandyan, kukunin na nila kasi 50 percent is better than nothing (We are surprised that some of them have taken the vaccine because they believe that what is currently available, they will take it because 50 percent is better than nothing),” he added.
“Pero ang ipalinaw ko lang ho 50 percent is developing mild symptoms, meaning nagka COVID ka pero ubo at sipon, lagnat lang ang lalabas. Pero ang ability to prevent maging severe ka na maaring ikamatay mo is 100 percent, according to the data. Siguro, importanteng maintindihan iyon (But I want to emphasize that the 50 percent is for mild symptoms, meaning if you contract COVID, you will only develop cough, cold, or fever. But its ability to prevent severe symptoms that may cause death is 100 percent, according to the data. Maybe, it is important to understand that),” he noted.
Legaspi, who was the first Filipino to be officially vaccinated against the disease, has not experienced adverse reactions from the Sinovac vaccine “Nothing out of the ordinary, pangalawang araw na. Wala akong kakaibang naramdaman kung hindi konting sakit lang sa braso siguro dahil sa turok. Pero, parang wala, parang it's like an ordinary day (Nothing out of the ordinary, it’s the second day already. I don't feel anything strange if not just a little pain in the arm maybe because of the prick. But, it seems like nothing, it seems like it's an ordinary day),” he said.