Vaccine after-effects minimal, minor

BAGUIO CITY – (March 19, 2021) – Adverse events from the anti-Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination had only been minimal and involved only minor side effects, according to the City Health Services Office.City Health Officer Dr. Rowena Galpo said a small number of health workers reported experiencing minor after effects like pain on the site, headache, fever and body aches which are considered “normal and expected adverse effects” of immunization.

She said a total of 3,808 health workers belonging to the A1 category composed of workers in hospitals, isolation facilities, primary health care units, social workers, Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) and contact tracers had been administered vaccines as of March 16.Of the total, 2,670 were administered Sinovac and 1,138 were given AstraZeneca.

The number represents 56 percent of the target number of health workers in the city totaling 6,713.

Scheduled for immunization next week are the workers in private clinics, diagnostic centers and remainder of the BHERTs and public health workers.

Galpo said they aim to inoculate all the health workers until the end of March so that by April, they can start with the next priority group which is the senior citizens.

She encouraged senior citizens who have not pre-registered to enlist either by submitting a Google Form Response using the Google Form link for Senior Citizens: https://forms.gle/XKBKxXSmKNcEgo5K6 or by reporting to their District Health Center for interview.

She noted that only 12,000 or roughly 30 percent of the target elderly population of around 40,000 had enlisted so far and pre-registration is still continuing. – Aileen P. Refuerzo