ALLAYING VACCINE FEARS. Mayors attend a meeting with Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia on Friday (Jan. 15, 2021) at the Cebu Provincial Capitol, tackling the vaccination program of the national government. Department of Health-7 chief pathologist Dr. Mary Jean Loreche allayed fears on social media posts about deaths allegedly caused by Covid-19 vaccine, saying that screening will be done before the inoculation process. (Screengrab from Cebu Provincial Capitol PIO video)
CEBU CITY – A health official on Friday advised Cebuanos to stop worrying about social media posts about some individuals who allegedly died or suffered adverse reactions from a coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine abroad.
Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, DOH-7 chief pathologist and Covid-19 spokesperson, assured that screening will be done before administering the vaccine to the individuals.
She said those who have history of allergies, individuals who are immunocompromised or having preexisting medical conditions will not be included in the vaccination program.
“The medical history is very important,” Loreche said during a meeting organized by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia at the Provincial Capitol.
The rural health units (RHUs) and barangay health centers (BHCs) will be tapped to disseminate information that will ensure safe administration of the vaccines down to the villages.
The DOH-7 is now conducting road-mapping to get the public pulse on the vaccination program in the region.
“What we do know (is that) the mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) technology for vaccine is truly new. There is so much we need to know as yet of both the SARS-CoV-2 and the vaccine,” she told the Philippine News Agency in a phone interview.
She said that “there is no vaccine that is 100 percent without adverse reactions just as no vaccine will render 100 percent efficacy”.
The mRNA vaccine, she said, “is considered by the body as foreign and this is the reason why antibodies are produced”.
"Definitely though, any vaccine can have an adverse reaction as each individual has different ways of reacting to a foreign substance introduced to the body,” Loreche said, adding that screening will ensure that those who are having medical problems will not be listed for inoculation.
Proper vaccination planning should include “close monitoring for any adverse reactions” to individuals who would get inoculated, she said.
In a meeting at the Capitol, DOH-7 regional director Dr. Jaime Bernadas told mayors that local government units can only purchase vaccines that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (PNA)
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