80% of PGH health workers already got COVID-19 vaccine, says spox

At least 80% of health workers of Philippine General Hospital have been given at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, PGH spokesperson Jonas del Rosario said Wednesday.

Dr. del Rosario said vaccine hesitancy among PGH health workers has not been a concern anymore, with only 1% not willing to take a COVID-19 vaccine at this point due to personal preference.

“Almost 80 percent of our health workers have been vaccinated [against COVID-19]. In total, around 6,000 have been vaccinated. On second dose, may nabigyan na rin. Ongoing iyong second round ng Sinovac,” Del Rosario said during the Laging Handa briefing.

(There are also those who already got the second dose, and the second round of Sinovac is ongoing.)

“As for AstraZeneca, the interval is longer, it could take months, so we expect to get them by May or June,” del Rosario added.

Much of the remaining PGH health workers yet to be vaccinated, Del Rosario said, were the ones who got sick.

“Mga one percent lang po iyong hindi nagpabakuna due to personal reasons,” he said.

(Those who are yet to be vaccinated due to personal reasons are just around one percent.)

Under the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program, health workers are first in line and they have the option to choose their preferred vaccine brand without losing their priority status.

Only around three million doses of Sinovac and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses in total are available in the Philippines so far.

Based on Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluation, Sinovac’s efficacy on health care workers is at 50.4%.

AstraZeneca’s efficacy rate on all individuals, on the other hand, is at 70% after the first dose—a rating that increases after the second dose is administered four to 12 weeks after the first dose based on Philippine FDA evaluation.

In addition, Del Rosario said COVID-19 infection rate among PGH health workers has been reduced due to stricter protocols including: conduct of repeat RT-PCR test to those who have finished 14-day quarantine after COVID-19 exposure before they are allowed to go to work, deployment of safety officers to ensure minimum public health standards are complied with the work place and wearing of KN95 mask instead of surgical mask.

“Hindi na po gaya noon po kasi 10 days lang ang quarantine kasi kailangan na [nila bumalik agad sa trabaho],” he added.

(It is unlike before when those who had exposure to COVID-19 had to go back to work after 10 days of quarantine.) — RSJ, GMA News