The CEO and president of St. Luke’s Medical Center was vaccinated with a Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday.
Dr. Art Dela Peña, a COVID-19 survivor, said he would take every opportunity to protect his health workers from respiratory disease.
“Alam ko kung pa-paano magkaroon ng COVID infection. I stayed in the hospital for another 34 days,” Dela Peña said.
“Kung may pagkakataon o opportunity na makukuha ko ‘yung opportunity that will prevent any of our employees, especially the frontliners, na hindi magkakaroon ng COVID, eh gagawin ko ‘yun,” he added.
The CEO said he sent a message to vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. requesting more doses for the St Luke’s Medical Center’s thousands of employees.
“Sabi niya, ilan ba ang kailangan mo? Eh, 10,000 ho kami. Sabi niya 5,000 bibigay ko sa inyo,” Dela Peña said.
Galvez told Dela Peña’s request to President Rodrigo Duterte, adding the president was happy about St Luke’s Medical Center’s request amid the public’s doubts about Chinese vaccines.
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CEO of St Luke’s Medical Center gets Sinovac vaccine
“Tuwang-tuwa po si Presidente ng ibalita ko po sa kaniya na ‘yung St. Lukes humihingi po ng vaccine. Sabi ko ako talaga nabigla rin dahil kasi alam ko karamihan sa St. Luke’s, Pfizer at saka Astrazeneca ang gusto,” he said.
“Pero nagulat ako ng sinabi nila na they’re asking for 5,000 or more. Once na nakita ng ating mga mamayan na mismo dito sa St. Luke’s magkakaroon tayo ng massive rollout, nakita natin, I believe, more or less how many percent na talagang napaka-ano, tataas ito,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dela Peña said that the St Luke’s Medical Center faces the threat of COVID-19 daily.
“Tumataas na naman uli ‘yung number of cases. Before January and the first week of February, ang naa-admit sa dalawang ospital [SLMC’s Global City and Quezon City branches] is about, ang average is about 20 to 25,” he said.
“Kahapon pumalo na ng 40. So dumadami na naman kasi nag re-relax na naman siguro doon sa mga measures that will prevent the spread.”