PGH spox, who survived COVID-19 unlike his parents, among first to get vaccination

Dr. Jonas del Rosario, the spokesperson of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) who recovered from COVID-19 but whose parents died of the virus, was chosen to be the first to get vaccinated as part of the hospital's inoculation rollout.

"Meron po kaming pinag-usapan ni Sec. Vince (Dizon, testing czar) na siguro mas maganda para sa mga tao na makita na ang mga taong nagbigay ng kanilang lakas at talino at naapektuhan ng COVID nang pinakamatindi ay siyang dapat mauna," UP-PGH director Dr. Gerardo Legaspi said at a Palace briefing on Thursday.

"Symbolic gesture of the final phase of their fight against COVID. Napili po natin ang aming spokesperson na si Dr. Jonas del Rosario," he continued.

Legaspi said Del Rosario tested positive for the virus as well as his parents. Unfortunately, only Del Rosario survived while his parents succumbed to the disease.

"I think there is no better choice than Dr. Jonas del Rosario," he said.

Legaspi said that as of Thursday morning, 5,134 PGH employees have already personally pre-registered for the vaccination at the hospital.

He said their goal is to have "zero wastage" of the 5,300 expected vaccines.

"Ang tingin po namin ay nu'ng nakita ng karamihan na marami nang pumipila para magparehistro sa pagbabakuna, tumaas ang kanilang tiwala sa kung anumang bakuna na makukuha ng PGH," Legaspi said of the high number of their employees who registered for the inoculation.

PGH is one of the country’s three main COVID-19 referral hospitals to be the first to get inoculated against the coronavirus this February as the country gears up for the start of its mass vaccination campaign.—AOL, GMA News