The scheduled start of the COVID-19 vaccination on Monday morning at the Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City is set.
The Lung Center is one of the referral hospitals for patients with COVID-19.
The hospital advisory states that vaccination activities will begin at 9:30 a.m. It will allegedly be led by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos Jr.
Duque will also receive the Sinovac vaccine, which arrived from China this Sunday.
Aside from Duque, the 20 initial staff of the hospital will also be vaccinated for the photo session.
In a previous survey, 82 to 90 percent of the 1,400 total Lung Center employees agreed to receive the Pfizer vaccine, according to Dr. Norberto Francisco, the hospital spokesperson.
There has been no specific survey for Sinovac as the information drive to the hospital continues.
“Pero hindi ho ako magtataka kung halimbawang mas marami ‘yong humindi,” said Francisco.
Two vaccine options are provided for the Lung Center: the Sinovac CoronaVac and the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“Just yesterday, we got news about AstraZeneca as an available option. That totally changes the picture. Both are good, effective vaccines with just a minor specific characteristic. The choice of the individual is purely a personal one based on the available data,” said Francisco.
Lung Center of the Philippines ready for COVID-19 vaccination
According to Francisco, their hospital has been ready to handle the vaccine for more than 2 weeks.
“Maraming practice na, marami na,” he said.
The government also gives health care workers the opportunity to choose the vaccine against COVID-19 that they want to receive.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had earlier said that the Sinovac vaccine could not be recommended to health care workers who directly target COVID-19 patients, although they can inject it if they wish.
According to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, should health workers reject the Sinovac vaccine, they will remain a priority for other vaccines to come.
“Kung ayaw naman po ay wala talagang sapilitan,” said Roque.
The government has repeatedly insisted that the 50.4-percent efficacy rate is sufficient to say the Sinovac vaccine is effective as a COVID-19 shield.