“It’s my responsibility as a healthcare worker [and] as public servant to at least try to inspire other people to take the vaccine,” City Councilor Candice Magdalane Tupas points out. CANDICE TUPAS/FB 
“(CoronaVac vaccine) is the only vaccine available (at the moment) so we have to take it in the meantime,” says Mayor Jerry Treñas. ARNOLD ALMACEN/CMO
ILOILO City – Despite the low efficacy of China-made coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines as acknowledged by a top Chinese official, local leaders in this city are still banking on the jabs.
“Even if that were true, we have no choice,” said Mayor Jerry Treñas.
Sinovac Biotech’s CoronaVac vaccines are the only ones available at the moment, he pointed out, “so we have to take it in the meantime.”
Over the weekend, Gao Fu, director of the China Centers for Disease Control, admitted that Chinese vaccines “don’t have very high protection rates” and their government is considering mixing them to boost efficacy.
China has distributed hundreds of millions of doses across the world, mostly in Africa, South America and parts of Asia, including the Philippines.
In Western Visayas, thousands of doses of CoronaVac have been administered to healthcare workers.
Councilor Candice Magdalane Tupas, a medical doctor who already completed her Sinovac vaccination, echoed the city mayor’s take on the matter.
“We have to make use of the vaccine that is available. I have a responsibility as a healthcare worker and public servant to try to inspire people to take the vaccine,” said Tupas.
She opined that “the studies (on the vaccines) will come in as we go along because these were just formulated last year…so everything is still on.”
“They are just on stage 3 (trial), meaning only for emergency use,” Tupas explained.
The use of COVID-19 vaccines is being allowed because the world is facing a global health emergency.
Tupas got her second Sinovac vaccine shot on April 9. She said she had not felt any adverse effect except tolerable pain in the injected area.
The lady councilor revealed she was feeling more secure now.
“Kon mag-atubang sa patient nga untested medyo may confidence na kita,” Tupas told Panay News.
Nevertheless, she still observes minimum health protocols against COVID-19.
“I still continue to wear my complete (personal protective equipment),” she stressed.
She added: “In case mabal-an ko nga I was exposed, I will wear a mask in front of my children and isolate myself from them. Asta subong before I see my kids I take a bath and change into a clean wardrobe, among other precautions. I will continue doing these protocols to protect my family.”
Tupas further stressed that being fully vaccinated does not mean one cannot be infected anymore.
“Kon fully vaccinated ka, indi ka malatnan sang severe COVID. Kon wala ka naga-facemask, face shield, may chance gihapon nga malatnan ka COVID but mas baskog ang imo lawas because you have the antibodies,” Tupas explained.
Another city official who was also able to receive COVID-19 vaccine was Councilor Alan Zaldivar, head of the Social Service Office of a medical center here.
He got his first shot of Sinovac vaccine on March 16 and his second dose will be today, April 14.
Zaldivar said he had not experience any adverse reaction after taking the first dose.
As to the report about Chinese-made vaccines offering low protection, the city dad said it is better to get protected than none at all.
“Fifty percent efficacy is good compared to none,” he told Panay News.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mary Jane Juanico, spokesperson of the Department of Health in Western Visayas, refused to comment on the information.
However, she shared that as of this writing, a total of 58,760 health workers and medical frontliners in the region already received their first dose of the CoronaVac vaccines./PN
