Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte expressed relief after witnessing the inoculation of several health care workers in four hospitals in the city with Sinovac Biotech from China.

Belmonte has been actively promoting the vaccination of health workers and priority sectors among QCitizens through online forums and information drives, so they could get protected before further relaxing restrictions, which would inevitably lead to more Covid-19 cases.

“I’m extremely happy dahil sabay-sabay ang rollout ng bakuna sa apat na ospital dito sa Lungsod Quezon and I’m very grateful that you chose Quezon City to be among the first to receive the vaccine,” Belmonte told members of the IATF.

She expressed hope that medical frontliners will grab the opportunity to be vaccinated immediately, as she graced the kick-off of the vaccination roll-out at the Lung Center of the Philippines, Veterans Memorial Medical Center and V. Luna Hospital. The fourth hospital was the PNP General Hospital.

“Rather than wait for weeks or even months for other vaccines, thereby risking our lives and those of our loved ones, with each passing day, let us avail of what is already here with us,” she said. Citing experts, Belmonte stressed that the public should focus on studies showing that the currently available vaccine, Sinovac, is 100% effective in protecting people against hospitalization, severe Covid and death.

“Today, our healthcare workers can begin to finally feel safe against the dreaded virus. They can stop living in fear. Soon our economy will be up on its feet again and our people will have jobs to care for their families. Let’s VAX TO NORMAL. ” Belmonte said.

Belmonte also expressed willingness to be vaccinated with Sinovac if only to help allay vaccination hesitancy among QCitizens, but she stressed that health workers should be inoculated first.

“We must not deprive a single health worker of the vaccine since these are so limited at present and I am happy to wait for my turn in the list,” said the mayor.

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