Health Secretary Francisco Duque III received his first dose of the CoronaVac vaccine on Friday (April 23) .
The ceremonial vaccination took place at the Department of Health (DOH) gymnasium. He got his shot a little over a year after the pandemic broke out worldwide.
Watch this report from Cleizl Pardilla for more details:
Duque went through the entire process, including speaking with a healthcare worker at a Health Education Area, who advised him about the vaccine’s benefits and possible side effects, while at the Screening Area, a physician checked his vital signs and asked if he has any allergies, among other questions.
DOH Undersecretary Gerardo Bayuga, who heads the health regulation team, administered the Sinovac shot to the Health department chief.
Duque, who is under the A2 category (senior citizens), said vaccines are important in the fight against the ongoing pandemic.
“As I receive my dose of the Covid-19 vaccine today, I invite everyone to do the same and choose to be protected. Let us all take part in protecting public health, and let us be in unison in spreading one message: that vaccines are safe, and vaccines are effective,” Duque said.
In urging people to get a Covid shot, Duque said the continuous rollout of vaccines will save countless lives. Even with the global shortage of vaccine supplies, available vaccines are valuable and should not be wasted, he added.
Despite such challenges, Duque assured the public that the government, through vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. and the vaccine cluster, are doing their best to secure sufficient vaccine doses to cover 70 million Filipinos. (DOH)/JLO
