St Luke’s CEO, a COVID survivor, gets vaccinated

The president and CEO of St. Luke's Medical Center on Wednesday received a shot of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese firm Sinovac, and said that he would take any opportunity that would prevent the hospital's frontliners from getting sick from the viral disease. 

In Mariz Umali’s report on “24 Oras,” Dr. Art Dela Peña shared his experience of getting hit with the illness himself.

“Alam ko kung pa-paano magkaroon ng COVID infection. I stayed in the hospital for another 34 days,” Dela Peña said.

“Kung may pagkakataon o opportunity na makukuha ko ‘yung opportunity that will prevent any of our employees, especially the frontliners, na hindi magkakaroon ng COVID, eh gagawin ko ‘yun,” he added.

Dela Peña said he sent a message to vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. about obtaining more doses for the hospital's thousands of employees.

“Sabi niya, ilan ba ang kailangan mo? Eh, 10,000 ho kami. Sabi niya 5,000 bibigay ko sa inyo,” Dela Peña said.

Galvez reported Dela Peña's request to President Rodrigo Duterte, who welcomed it amid many Filipinos' skepticism about getting a COVID-19 vaccine, and mistrust of Chinese vaccines in particular.

“Tuwang-tuwa po si Presidente ng ibalita ko po sa kaniya na ‘yung St. Lukes humihingi po ng vaccine. Sabi ko ako talaga nabigla rin dahil kasi alam ko karamihan sa St. Luke's, Pfizer at saka Astrazeneca ang gusto,” he said.

“Pero nagulat ako ng sinabi nila na they’re asking for 5,000 or more. Once na nakita ng ating mga mamayan na mismo dito sa St. Luke's magkakaroon tayo ng massive rollout, nakita natin, I believe, more or less how many percent na talagang napaka-ano, tataas ito,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dela Peña said that the hospital faces the threat of COVID-19 daily.

“Tumataas na naman uli ‘yung number of cases. Before January and the first week of February, ang naa-admit sa dalawang ospital [SLMC's Global City and Quezon City branches] is about, ang average is about 20 to 25,” he said.

“Kahapon pumalo na ng 40. So dumadami na naman kasi nag re-relax na naman siguro doon sa mga measures that will prevent the spread.”

St. Luke's was among the hospitals that began vaccinating their personnel on Wednesday. — Joahna Lei Casilao/BM, GMA News