| Contributed Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Some hospitals in Cebu on Tuesday, March 16, started to administer AstraZeneca’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines to its workers.
A total of 20 hospitals, both private and public, in Central Visayas were given a clearance to proceed with its roll out of the AstraZeneca vaccine supply after they completed their inoculation schedule for the first dose of CoronaVac, the Department of Health here (DOH-7) said.
“We already have 20 hospitals that completed all first doses of Sinovac’s CoronaVac for their healthcare workers as of today (March 16),” said Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, the spokesperson of DOH-7.
CoronaVac is the COVID-19 vaccine brand manufactured by China’s Sinovac while AstraZeneca is from the UK-based pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca.
Vaccines from both brands were donations to the Philippines from the Chinese government and European nations respectively.
READ: More Sinovac vaccines arrive in Central Visayas
Perpetual Succour Hospital in Cebu City was among the first to administer AstraZeneca’s vaccine to its medical frontliners on March 16.
Dr. Elrey Inocian, PSH’s Vaccination Organizer, told reporters in an interview that a total of 1,190 employees volunteered to receive AstraZeneca.
“We will be vaccinating AstraZeneca to those who initially expressed hesitation to get the vaccine, those who preferred AstraZeneca over Sinovac, and most especially our healthcare workers age 60-years-old and above who, based on recommendations, cannot receive Sinovac,” said Inocian in Cebuano.
Inocian also said that their AstraZeneca inoculation drive will continue for three days.
Aside from Perpetual Succour Hospital, other hospitals in Cebu that have begun their AstraZeneca vaccination drives included Eversly Child Sanitarium and General Hospital, Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital, ARC Hospital, and Cebu City Medical Center, according to data from DOH-7.
DOH-7, earlier said, that hospitals that already finished vaccinating their workers with the first dose of CoronaVac can already proceed in rolling out their AstraZeneca supply.
The agency said administering an individual with the two different brands of COVID-19 vaccines is not allowed. / dcb