The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) on Wednesday conducted a coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination simulation in this island city.
DOH-7 chief pathologist Dr. Mary Jean Loreche said the activity which she personally supervised was designed to prepare the community for the Covid-19 inoculation program.
Mayor Junard Chan received a dose of “saline solution” during the mock vaccination procedure.
He said he volunteered to lead the dry run “to show to the residents in Lapu-Lapu City that we are ready in case the vaccines arrive”.
“I showed to the people that I presented myself to be the first to receive the vaccine so that they can see that it is safe to be inoculated and they have nothing to worry about. We are happy to know that we can now make ourselves stronger against Covid-19,” Chan told the Philippine News Agency in an interview.
The mayor started the simulation by signing an informed consent form before he underwent pre-inoculation screening and taking of vital signs.
Loreche, who is also the regional Covid-19 spokesperson, said informed consent is needed before a patient can get the Covid-19 vaccine dose.
“Part of the process for the vaccination, there is an informed consent. It is a document whereby the vaccinee, after being counseled, shall sign his/her consent to the vaccination,” she told newsmen.
The doctor assigned also conducted a mock interview on Chan, asking him if he had experienced fever, dry cough, headache, cold, sore throat, shortness of breath, chest pain, among other symptoms of Covid-19, in the last 14 days.
After getting the “shot”, the mayor subjected himself to tedious medical preliminaries.
In the “post-inoculation” interview, Chan was asked if he felt any adverse effects.
Loreche said Chan was actually injected with a “saline solution”, a placebo that will not affect the body, and denied reports that the mayor was injected with the CoronaVac vaccine.
“Vaccine is very important for Lapu-Lapu City because we are a tourism city. We work hard to recover as our economy is very dependent on tourists,” Chan said. (PNA)
