Department of Health 7 (Central Visayas) chief pathologist, Dr. Mary Jean Loreche (Photo courtesy of Minerva Newman)
CEBU CITY – Central Visayas residents are assured of pre-inoculation and aftercare monitoring as part of the overall vaccine deployment plan.
Department of Health (DOH) 7 (Central Visayas) chief pathologist, Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, said on Thursday local government units (LGUs) are required to assign a medical team that would look into the medical history of each individual to be injected with the vaccine against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and check on side effects.
Part of the pre-inoculation procedure is to ask the patients if they have comorbidities, such as diabetes, hypertension, and allergies, or if they are undergoing anti-cancer treatment and to gather vital signs, Loreche said.
“We will have an area for monitoring. The person(s) who will get the vaccine will not be allowed to go home as they will be monitored for 30 minutes to two hours to observe if there would be any side effects,” she said in a virtual presser, adding that patients who have allergies would be given an antihistamine.
Loreche said local health care workers are undergoing a two-week training course on how to administer the vaccine, as well as how to handle individuals who may develop side effects, including the admission of individuals who may need close medical attention.
An ambulance will be stationed in each vaccination hub in LGU gymnasiums and covered courts.
Government or private hospitals may also be used as a vaccination hub.
Loreche said individuals less than 18 years old are not yet included in the national vaccination program. They are scheduled to get theirs in 2023 or 2024.
“Children should get first their MRP (measles, rubella, and polio) vaccines to protect them from acquiring other diseases that may trigger other rider illnesses if they contract Covid-19,” she said.
Loreche told the public to heed experts’ advice on the benefits of vaccines, rather than listening to misinformation that may cause them to worry about side effects.
She said medical personnel could address the most common worry about side effects.
“That’s part of any vaccine because they are considered foreign substances entering our body. The vaccine will instruct the body to fight the coronavirus. And side effects could be felt like weakness, headache, and fever,” Loreche said.
The vaccine, she said, should not mean ignoring minimum health and safety protocols.
Wearing of masks and face shields, physical distancing, and hand washing are still recommended. (PNA)
