All SC justices got vaccinated against COVID-19 — Gesmundo

All 14 justices of the Supreme Court (SC) have been vaccinated against COVID-19, Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo said Friday.

“All members of the Court have been completely vaccinated. I think all of us have completed the second jab,” Gesmundo said in his first press conference since assuming the top judicial post in April.

The justices are either in their 50s or 60s. The government prioritizes the inoculation of senior citizens and individuals with comorbidities.

He also said the judiciary had already begun its vaccination campaign.

“I cannot really cite the projected completion of the vaccination but I was told by Justice (Estela) Bernabe this morning that for this week, there is a schedule for 400 people to get vaccinated,” he said.

“We have created a task force to supervise and ensure that the vaccination takes place in accordance with the schedule and on the number of the vaccines available for the judiciary.”

Earlier, the pandemic task force included the employees of the judiciary in the A4 category following a request from the SC.

“The Supreme Court wanted to ensure that the judiciary will continue to administer justice without sacrificing the health and safety of its personnel,” Gesmundo said.

Data from the SC’s COVID-19 Response Team showed as of June 3, 2021, a total of 1,994 employees of the SC, Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, Court of Tax Appeals, and the trial courts have contracted the illness since the pandemic began early last year.

Of these 1,994 cases, there have been 1,846 recoveries, 33 deaths, and 115 active cases. 

The data also showed that of the 1,584 court workers who underwent quarantine after contracting the disease, 213 were hospitalized, 33 were quarantined in COVID-19 facilities, and 972 underwent home quarantine or isolation. — RSJ, GMA News