Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 6) — Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez and Testing czar Vince Dizon have completed their COVID-19 vaccine shots last week.
During Tuesday’s Palace briefing, Galvez and Dizon said they received their second dose last Monday, March 29. Both got their first jab of CoronaVac from China’s Sinovac Biotech last March 1.
Recounting their experience, both said they only felt drowsy after receiving their second shot but did not experience any other major side effect after that.
“Tama po yung sinabi ni Presidente na once na bakunahan kayo nagkakaroon ng confidence, pero syempre nandoon pa rin po ang precautions,” Galvez said.
[Translation: What President Rodrigo Duterte said is true, that once you get vaccinated, you somehow gain confidence, but of course the precautions must still be there.]
“Ang importante lang kahit nabakunahan na po tayo, tuluy-tuloy pa rin po ang pagsuot ng masks, paghugas ng kamay at pag-avoid ng matataong lugar,” Dizon added.
[Translation: What’s important is even if we get vaccinated, we must continue to wear masks, wash our hands, and avoid crowded places.]
Galvez and Dizon were among the government officials first authorized by the interim National Immunization Technical Advisory Group to receive their jabs ahead of others. They both lead the country’s immunization efforts as the chief implementer and deputy chief implementer of the government’s pandemic task force.
Other government officials are still not allowed to get their COVID-19 shots, except for mayors and governors in high-risk and critical areas including the Greater Manila area. Dizon earlier said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases already approved this proposal, with a go signal from Duterte himself.
The simultaneous vaccine drive for senior citizens and persons with comorbidities is also ongoing in some Metro Manila cities.
