Galvez gets Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at PGH

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. on Monday received the coronavirus vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac.

Galvez was among the first few Filipinos to get the vaccine at the Philippine General Hospital, where a ceremony was held to boost public confidence in the vaccination campaign.

“Alam niyo po kahapon halos maluha-luha po kami no’ng dumating po ‘yung Sinovac dahil talagang at last dumating na po ‘yung doses of hope natin na inaantay,” he said, referring to the country’s first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines that arrived on Sunday afternoon.  

“Talagang very emotional kami nila Secretary [Francisco] Duque because the pressure is on us and it unburdened a lot of sacrifices na nakita natin. Talagang tuwang tuwa kami kasi at least [mayroon] ng vaccine para sa ating mga health workers,” he added.

Galvez delayed his vaccination until the end of the program to ensure that health workers would go first.

PANOORIN: Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez, nagpabakuna na ng Sinovac vaccine sa PGH. @dzbb pic.twitter.com/jA5mGWhTrA

— Isa Avendaño-Umali (@Isa_Umali) March 1, 2021

Under the government’s vaccination priority list, frontline workers in healthcare facilities should be the first to get inoculated. 

PGH Director Dr. Gerardo Legaspi was the first official recipient of the vaccine.

Meanwhile, Galvez said there is still no definite delivery date for the AstraZeneca vaccines, the first batch of which was initially expected to arrive also on Monday. 

"We understand the challenge COVAX is facing because they are supplying the global community. Ang pagkakasabi nila, indefinite [ang date of arrival] pero hopefully first quarter,” he said in a briefing. — RSJ, GMA News