The Department of Health (DOH) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) has recorded 6,462 hospital workers who have received the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines.

Based on the advisory posted on its official social media post on Sunday evening, the DOH-CAR said there were 5,904 inoculated using the Sinovac vaccines. This is out of the 7,800 doses allocated and distributed to the provinces in the region.

The vaccination rollout for the Cordillera started last March 5.

On the other hand, there were 558 health care workers out of the 3,890 who received AstraZeneca vaccines which were delivered to the different CAR provinces only last March 11.

The province of Abra has inoculated 453 hospital workers; 536 in Apayao; 3,010 in Baguio City; 865 in Benguet; 291 in Ifugao; 577 in Kalinga; and 730 in Mountain Province.

‘To see is to believe’

Rebecca Sanggoy, a laundrywoman at Dennis Molintas District hospital (DMDH) in Bokod, Benguet said she was not convinced at first of the vaccination but when she saw a lot of her fellow workers in the hospital taking the vaccine, she changed her mind.

Sanggoy, who was vaccinated on March 10, said “ngayon lang ako nag-decide na gusto ko magpa-vaccine kasi marami po sa amin nagpabakuna at marami rin nagpabakuna sa ibang lugar (I just decided now to receive the vaccine after seeing that most of my co-workers are being vaccinated and there are also many in other areas who are getting the vaccines),” she said.

“Nag volunteer ako, hindi ako pinilit (I volunteered, I was not forced),” she said.

Sanggoy is one of the 46 staff of the hospital out of the 58 who have received the Sinovac vaccine since the vaccination rolled out on March 9.

“I am happy that I can be a role model for others who have second thoughts in being inoculated,” she said.

She said she believes that being exposed as a hospital worker, her inoculation will be a protection against the adverse effect of Covid-19.

As a laundrywoman at the hospital, she washes the beddings of all in-patients, including those used by Covid-19 positive patients.

Sanggoy called on others to be vaccinated saying “magpabakuna na para sa inyong protection (have yourself inoculated for your protection).”

She said she also wants her family including her three children to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Dr. Tricia Panangwe, chief of hospital of the DMDH, in a statement sent to the media, said six hospital staff — three senior citizens, one immuno-compromised, and two pregnant women deferred receiving the vaccine. (PNA)