A total of 900 frontline health workers in Bulacan are set to receive China's Sinovac coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine as the provincial government launched on Monday, March 8, its vaccination program.

(Bulacan Provincial Health Office / MANILA BULLETIN)

Gov. Daniel Fernando led the roll out at the Hiyas ng Bulacan Convention Center, two days after the province received its allocation of CoronaVac vaccines from the Department of Health-Central Luzon Center for Health Development.

Bulacan Medical Center (BMC) chief Hjordis Marushka Celis was the first to get the jab in the province.

She was followed by BMC Hospital Training Officer Jose Emiliano Gatchalian and BMC Nurse Supervisor Alma Villena.

Other health workers from BMC and the province's district hospitals are also set to be inoculated in the coming days.

Amid the initial hesitation of some health workers in getting the Chinese vaccine, Fernando expressed confidence that "the national government would not neglect us" in terms of the safety of the vaccine.

"Dumaan naman po ito sa proseso at hindi po ito ibibigay sa tao kung ito man ay makakadisgrasya (The vaccine underwent a thorough process before getting the approval to be administered. And it will not be given if it will endanger the lives of the people)," the governor told the health workers.

Joseph Pedrajas & Freddie Velez

Bulacan province starts COVID-19 vaccine rollout for frontline health workers