ILOILO City – More China-made Sinovac vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are being rolled out.
Yesterday three more hospitals simultaneously conducted their respective vaccination activities among their health workers. These were the West Visayas State University Medical Center (WVSU-MC) in La Paz district, Iloilo Doctors’ Hospital (IDH) in Molo district and the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Mandurriao district.
For WVMC, the vaccination was held at the Mandurriao National High School. Around 504 healthcare personnel agreed to be vaccinated.
Dr. Guadalupe Matejka, chief training officer of WVMC, was the first medical practitioner vaccinated.
Meanwhile, in WVSU-MC, acting chief Dr. Dave Endel Gelito III and WVSU president Dr. Joselito Villaruz were the first to get their initial doses of Sinovac vaccine.
At least 687 healthcare personnel of WVSU-MC agreed to get the shots. Yesterday, 163 of them were target to be vaccinated.
In IDH, the first to be vaccinated were hospital president and medical director Dr. Alejandro Emmanuel Rivera, nursing director Helen Caton and administrator Joe Marie Muyco.
On Friday, in a ceremonial vaccination, some 22 health personnel of St. Paul’s Hospital Iloilo were the very first in Panay Island to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
WVSU-MC’s Gelito described the vaccination rollout among healthcare personnel as historic, giving them hope of “slowly going back to normal.”
The doctor recalled how last year the university medical center prepared medical care to COVID-19 patients, and how they reprogrammed their financial resources to prioritize the construction of their molecular laboratory which cost “almost half” of the hospital’s budget for 2020.
The WVSU-MC, he said, “silently worked to fill in the gap” in healthcare delivery and “heeded the call” to take care and save lives of Western Visayans.
The hospital chief thanked all personnel who braved the threat of the pandemic despite the lack of resources, and those who even contracted COVID-19.
“We are gifted with something more than a mask,” said Gelito. “We are given a chance to protect ourselves against the virus, giving us a chance to regain our freedom from the shackles of COVID-19.”
Upon receiving his first vaccine dose, Gelito appealed to his fellow healthcare workers to likewise avail themselves of the vaccine.
“With the recent surges in Metro Manila and Cebu, I believe the earlier we get protection, the better for all of us. Let us continue protecting each other as we always have. Please get yourselves vaccinated the soonest,” he urged.
Villaruz also echoed Gelito’s call. Yesterday’s vaccination roll out, he said, is indeed a moment “worth celebrating.”
“Each one of us must be inoculated. This is the only way. We cannot wait any longer, for today is one golden opportunity that we wouldn’t want to miss. If we are to survive this generation, we must stand united and strong. Keep the negativities and politics behind. We will do this because we love ourselves, our families and our community,” he added.
Villaruz also emphasized, despite the initial vaccination rollout, everyone should remain vigilant and keep their guards up until everyone is protected.
“Let us continue to observe universal health protocols until we are confident that indeed we have defeated the virus for good. There should be no room for vaccine hesitancy. Let us continue to share the information and tirelessly campaign for vaccination,” he added./PN