PGH director receives first Sinovac jab as PH vaccination drive begins

Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Director Gerardo "Dr Gap" Legaspi became the first health worker in the Philippines to receive a legally administered COVID-19 vaccine, receiving a dose of Sinovac's CoronaVac.

Legaspi's vaccination marks the official start of the country's COVID-19 vaccination drive, which commenced on March 1, 2021, making the Philippines one of the last nations in Southeast Asia to begin its inoculation program.

The PGH Director's inoculation followed the earlier unauthorized vaccination of several government officials and their security personnel.

Actress Saab Magalona shared a personal story, recounting how Dr. Legaspi saved her son's life through two brain surgeries.

Other notable figures who received the Sinovac vaccine on the same day include Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Eric Domingo and health department adviser Dr. Edsel Salvaña.

The rollout of the mass vaccination drive occurs amidst expressed reluctance from health workers regarding the Sinovac vaccine, partly due to its reported 50.4% efficacy rate from Brazilian trials involving frontline health workers.