House health panel chair urges health frontliners to consider available COVID vaccines

House Committee on Health chairperson and Quezon Representative Angelina "Helen" Tan on Wednesday called on healthcare workers to avail of the government's vaccination program.

At a virtual press conference, Tan urged medical personnel to "look at the advantages of Sinovac," the first vaccine that arrived in the Philippines.

"Ine-encourage ko din ang mga health workers na laging nagwoworry sila, everyday papasok sila or sa trabaho, wala man lamang kahit isang proteksyon... Now na may available na binibigay, baka puwedeng maconsider na nila," Tan said.

Tan, a doctor, received her first dose of China's Sinovac vaccine on Tuesday at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center.

She said she was not afraid of getting vaccinated because she understood the explanations of medical experts as regards the vaccine.

"Wala po akong naramdaman na heaviness doon sa right arm ko kung saan doon ko po natanggap'yung injection. Hindi naman ako nakaramdam ng takot kasi definitely naintindihan ko naman 'yung mga datos and explanation made by experts on Sinovac," Tan said.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has said the confidence of healthcare workers in the government's vaccination program against COVID-19 already improved.

He said a total of 2,002 healthcare workers have been vaccinated as of March 2. — BM, GMA News