According to Dr. Robert John S. Aquino, Provincial Officer of the Department of Health (DOH), 1,410 doses of AstraZeneca and 280 of CoronaVac are allotted for more than 700 health workers of both public and private hospitals in the Island Province.
The inoculation immediately commenced at the Eastern Bicol Medical Center which has been serving as the COVID-19 referral hospital. The first person to receive a shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine was Dr. Aquino.
“Noong nabakunahan ako, happy naman ako. Wala ako naramdaman na masakit, nagkalagnat o sipon. Parang wala lang (When the vaccine was administered, I was happy. It did not hurt, I had no fever or colds. It seems like nothing [happened],” Dr. Aquino shared.
The first beneficiaries of the vaccine rollout were 37 health officials headed by Provincial Health Officer Dr. Hazel Palmes and EBMC Chief Dr. Vietrez Abella.
Dr. Palmes said that all the people who got inoculated did not feel any pain or other adverse reactions or side effects. She tallied that 30 individuals were vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine and 7 with the CoronaVac.- Edna Avila Bagadiong, PIA Catanduanes.
