Makati Medical Center (MMC) director Dr. Saturnino Javier has refuted an altered social media post aiming to link their doctor’s death to a COVID-19 vaccine.
On April 20, Dr. Jose Maria Avila succumbed to COVID-19. He was 63 years old.
The altered post suggested that the death of Dr. Avila came after getting the two doses of the vaccine given to him. The altered post claimed that he was inoculated with China’s Sinovac vaccine.
The MMC director said that the original post of their colleague in MMC was altered, saying the original post did not contain what type of vaccine was administered to Dr. Avila.
Javier clarified that Dr. Avila only received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
“Dr. Avila received only ONE dose of a vaccine . He has not completed his regimen of two doses,” he said.
“There was malice in altering the original post to suit someone's agenda on vaccination.”
Dr. Javier urged the public to always verify what they are sharing on social media as there are those who have the proclivity to create “fake news” just to push their own agenda.
“Dr. Avila, along with other tireless individuals from the Department of Pathology & Laboratory, MMC Service Operations, Hospital Licensing and Accreditation, Facilities\Engineering, and other hospital units, paved the way for the PCR Testing to be accredited and for other diagnostic facilities to be initiated and rolled out in MMC,” he added.
“Dr. Avila’s memories and legacy will always be remembered,” MMCl said in a statement.
As of May 1, over 36,000 individuals have been inoculated against COVID-19 in Makati City.