PHO chief Dr. Rosanna Buccahan explains how the mass vaccination facility operates as Gov. Albert Garcia and Sec. Vince Dizon listen. Photo by Ernie Esconde
BALANGA CITY — Inoculation against the coronavirus disease began Monday in Bataan but provincial officials are already hopeful that mass vaccination with the help of the national government will soon follow with the preparations they have undertaken.
Gov. Albert Garcia voiced the hope after the ceremonial vaccination witnessed by Sec. Vince Dizon, deputy chief implementer of the national task force against Covid–19, at the Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center annex here.
The first to be vaccinated after the arrival Saturday in Bataan of 417 doses of CoronaVac were BGHMC director Dr. Glory Baltazar and top officials Dr. Luis Hizon, Dr. Verny James Bunagan, and Dr. Maria Ines Santos.
Asked when Bataan targets the completion of the vaccination, the governor said it depended on the arrival of vaccines from the national government.
“Kaya after this, gusto kong ipakita kay Secretary Dizon ang ating mass vaccination center para makita niya ang kahandaan ng ating lalawigan at magkakumpiyansa ang national government na magpadala na ng mga bakuna para masimulan na natin sa mga priority lists ng ating gobyerno,” Garcia said.
He said that Dizon has committed to send AstraZeneka and other available vaccines to the province.
Garcia showed the secretary the preparations being done at the Bataan People’s Center in the Capitol compound which will serve as mass vaccination center of the province.
Stages of vaccination included Step 1 – validation and screening; Step 2 – counseling and consent; Step 3 – vaccination; and Step 4 – post vaccination. There is also a post–vaccination management room where those with adverse reactions after inoculation will be attended to.
At the center are also bio-medical freezers for the vaccines as part of its cold chain facility.
Garcia said there was an ongoing registration of frontline health workers that he estimated at more or less 5,000. He said that more health workers expressed their wish to be included in the vaccination process with the examples shown by Secretary Dizon and other officials.
Dizon said he was vaccinated the other day with Sinovac and has not experienced any adverse effect.
Second District Rep. Jose Enrique Garcia III recalled that it has already been a year that the country was reeling from the deadly virus.
“Ang ituturok sa mga health frontliners ngayon ay simbolo nang muling pagbangon at pag-asa para sa lahat. Marami ang kinakabahan, naiiyak dahil hindi alam ang gagawin at nangangapa pero dahil nagtulong-tulong ang lahat, ginawa ang nararapat kahit napakahirap ay ngayon nakikita na ang katapusan ng pandemyang ito,” the congressman said.
The governor echoed the observation of his brother, the congressman. “Humantong sa atin itong bangungot naCovid-19, napakabilis ng nagdaang panahon na talagang takot na takot ang lahat noong umpisa dahil hindi alam ang mangyayari.”
“Matatapos lang ang bangungot ng Covid-19 kung magkakaroon ng matagumpay na vaccination program dahil sa pamamagitan nito, tayo ay magkakaroon ng proteksyon, proteksyon sa mga mahal sa buhay sa Covid-19 kaya napakaimportante na maging matagumpay ang vaccination program,” the governor said.
He said that with top officials of BGHM leading in the vaccination and to be followed by other doctors and nurses, more people will submit themselves to take the vaccines.
