Around 700 Philippine athletes and representatives set to participate in the Tokyo Olympics in July and Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in November have received their first shot of COVID-19 vaccine.
The National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 led the inoculation at the Manila Prince Hotel in Manila today (May 28).
One of the CoronaVac recipients is 21-year-old Chris Nievarez, a rowing team member, who said he is more determined than ever and prepared to represent the Philippines at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
“Gusto ko na po talaga mabakunahan ako, para ‘yung utak ko rin ma-relax na… Kumbaga parang protektado. Parang maganda na siya sa pakiramdam na tuloy-tuloy na ang ensayo,” the SEA Games gold medalist said.
The inoculation of athletes followed the approval of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to prioritize them while they prepare for the games.
“These athletes give so much to our country, they are [an] inspiration, they are [a source of] pride to the country, and I think we need to give them the priority to be vaccinated, especially those who are going to compete abroad,” NTF deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon said.
The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) welcomed the additional protection given to the athletes, especially given the “no vaccine, no participation” policy of SEA Games host country Vietnam.
Meanwhile, world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo is expected to get vaccinated after his upcoming competition in Japan. – Report from Cleizl Pardilla/AG-jlo
