AstraZeneca vaccination drive sets off in Iligan, doctors intensify call on participation

ILIGAN CITY, Mar. 12 (PIA)--With the arrival of 720 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines in the city, the local government through the City Health Office (CHO) began giving first shots of the said vaccine to other medical frontliners belonging to the second batch.

First to kick off the AstraZeneca vaccination drive was the Mercy Community Hospital, Inc. (MCHI), immunizing 50 of their health workers.

As disclosed by Sr. Elizabeth Ballero, MCHI registered nurse, there are about 255 medical frontliners at the said hospital and only 10% of the population is participating.

“It is not tanan. More or less 10%. They are just doubting,” Ballero said.

Medical frontliners at Mercy Community Hospital, Inc. undergo counseling as part of the vaccination process. This is to thoroughly introduce to them the inside out of the vaccine they are taking.

With this likely event, doctors and other hospital officials continue to intensify their call to other health workers to participate in the vaccination program and get protection for themselves and all the people around them.

“I really call on everybody na magpabakuna gyud. Ang bakuna karon mao ang atong pamaagi nga maundang ang atong pandemic. Of course, di gihapon ta magkumpyansa pero at least, naa gyapon tay panlaban sa pandemya karon, mao ni ang bakuna,” urged Dr. John Daniel Ramos, MCHI interventional cardiologist.

[I really call on everybody to really be vaccinated. The vaccine now is our only way to end this pandemic. Of course, we should not still be overconfident but at least, we already have protection against the pandemic now and that is the vaccine.]

“Naa daw mga adverse effects pero kabalo ta manageable ra tanan, very controllable and dili serious. [They say there are adverse effects but we know that all are manageable, very controllable and not serious.] When you come to think of it, it is a small price to pay for what we really want to achieve globally para maundang ang atong pandemic [to get over with the pandemic] so we can go back to our normal lives as when before the pandemic,” Ramos added in response to the noted adverse event following immunization (AEFI).

Ballero, on the other hand, said that it only takes education to convince frontliners who do not have ample appropriate knowledge regarding the vaccination.

“Sa ila is ang pagpasabot why kinahanglan magpavaccine gyud ta - para makaunsa diay ni sa imo, makaunsa sa inyong pamilya ug makaunsa sa uban pang mga tao. The only thing is education. We have to educate them para asa diay ning vaccine,” she firmly stressed.

[To them is the understanding why we really need to be vaccinated - what can it do to you, what can it do to your family and what can it do to other people. The only thing is education. We have to educate them as to what this vaccine is for.] (CRG/ PIA-ICIC) 
 
 

 

 

Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)