SJMC frontliners receive Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine

Healthcare workers of the San Juan Medical Center (SJMC) and the San Juan City Health Office on Saturday were inoculated with Sinovac's coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine.

According to the local government, SJMC medical director Retired General Dr. Joseph Acosta was the first to receive the vaccine at the FilOil Flying V Center.

“I got the shot for the hospital, my patients, and my family. Getting vaccinated protects not just myself but the people around me,” Acosta said in a statement.

“I believe it is my responsibility to show our medical frontliners and the San Juaneños, as Medical Director of our only public hospital in the city, that our vaccines are safe and definitely effective.”

City Health Officer Dr. Rosalie Sto. Domingo administered the vaccine on Acosta.

In her speech at the program’s launch, Domingo assured San Juan residents that the vaccines were safe and effective.

“Mayor Francis Zamora made sure that we get only safe and effective vaccines here in San Juan,” Domingo said.

“All the vaccines we will be using in the vaccination program have been thoroughly studied, approved by the FDA, and effective in protecting us from the deadly COVID-19,” she added.

At present, 87 healthcare workers of the SJMC have been vaccinated. The local government said 138 frontliners initially volunteered to get Sinovac’s vaccine.

The City has received 2,300 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

According to San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora, 100,000 doses of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca would be arriving.

“This is just the beginning of our vaccination program. More vaccines will arrive, including the 100,000 doses we have procured from AstraZeneca, to inoculate the San Juaneños,” he said.

As of Saturday, the local government said San Juan recorded 31,051 vaccine registrations, making up 36 percent of the city’s population.

Meanwhile, the Philippines reported a total of 591,138 COVID-19 cases, of which 535,350 have recovered and 12,465 have died. —Joahna Lei Casilao/DVM, GMA News