COVID SHOT. Around 200 medical personnel, including three ranking officials of the Philippine National Police took their first dose of CoronaVac vaccines on Monday (March 1, 2021) at Camp Crame. About 75 percent of the PNP personnel have expressed willingness to get inoculated with the vaccine, PNP deputy chief for administration, Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said. (Photo by Lloyd Caliwan)
MANILA – Around 200 medical personnel, including three ranking officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) took their first dose of China-donated CoronaVac vaccines on Monday at Camp Crame.
Brig. Gen. Luisito Magnaye, PNP director of health service; Lt. Col. Cleto Manongas, PNP General Hospital (PNPGH) chief, and the hospital's deputy chief, Lt. Col. Raymond Ona, were among the first to get inoculated on the first day of the national vaccine rollout.
After his vaccination, Magnaye said it is good to lead and be among the first to get vaccinated.
“'Yung takot po wala po 'yan dahil sa unang babakunahan, lalo ngayon meron tayong pandemic dahil magkakaroon ako ng proteksiyon sa katawan (Even if I'm among the first ones to get the shot, there's no fear at all, we are in a pandemic and with this shot I would be protected)," he said.
During the symbolic vaccination, PNP chief, Gen. Debold Sinas said there were 800 vaccines initially allotted for the police force's health workers.
“Today, the PNP was given 800 vaccines for our health workers. Nagawan na 'yan ng health service, ang mga policy at mga pangalan kung sino ang mag-a-avail nito. Ang mag-a-avail po nito para sa kaalaman ng lahat ay 'yung mga health workers lang natin sa PNP (The health service has come up with a policy and names of who could avail of these vaccines and these are our health workers at the PNP),” Sinas said.
Around 200 PNP health workers will be vaccinated per day.
“According to the director of health service, naka-schedule kung ano oras pupunta ang mga tao dito para walang agawan, overcrowding (They have a schedule so that overcrowding would be avoided),” Sinas said.
In a press briefing Monday in Camp Crame, PNP deputy chief for administration, Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, said a total of 804 vaccine recipients are front-liners assigned at the PNP General Hospital.
“Accordingly, based on my discussion with the director of health service lahat dun walang nag-backout even though initial assessment meron iba na hindi qualified," Eleazar said.
"Meron tayong assessment, not on their own choice but for clinical reason, pero madali naman fill-up 'yun dahil there a lot of personnel coming from the health service na puwedeng magpuno sa kakulangan na 'yun (We can easily fill up the slots with other health service staff),” he added.
About 75 percent of the PNP personnel have expressed willingness to get inoculated with the vaccine.
Eleazar attributed the positive response to the information dissemination made by the PNP Health Service and the ground commanders, confident that the number would go higher.
Sinas said that aside from the vaccination, police also secured the transport of the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines from China's Sinovac Biotech which arrived on Feb. 28.
“PNP has also helped secure the vaccine hub in Marikina and the distribution of the vaccine to the different hospitals sa NCR (National Capital Region),” he said.
Sinas said police personnel would get inoculated soon as the PNP is among the priority sector as they would help secure and assist in the vaccination program,
"Lahat tayo magpa-vaccine (We should get vaccinated) unless otherwise sinabi ng doctors natin na hindi pa puwede because of some reasons. I am directing everybody all PNP personnel to avail of the vaccine kasi hindi natin alam kung kailan ulit i-allow magpa-vaccine sa PNP (We'll never know when's our next turn),” he added. (PNA)
