Philippine General Hospital Director Gerardo "Gap" Legaspi said Tuesday it felt like a "regular day" after he became the first in the country to receive the official COVID-19 vaccine.
Save for a little soreness on his left shoulder, the state hospital chief told ANC he did not experience side effects from one jab of Coronavac, the vaccine developed by China's Sinovac.
"Generally, it went well for me, except for a little soreness on my left shoulder but otherwise it was a regular day for me when I got home," said Legaspi said, noting he was expecting more side effects once the second dose is administered, as in the case of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
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"I feel good, I feel excited again to start another day because I saw the long line of vaccines outside waiting for their turn today," he said.
At the ceremonnial vaccination held Monday, 128 PGH staff had themselves vaccinated. Based on the hospital's online reservation log, 200 more would be innoculated Tuesday.
Legaspi said he agreed to take the Sinovac jab in deference to science. Some healthworkers have earlier protested the use of the Chinese vaccine saying they were promised the Pfizer drug, which has a 95% efficacy rate compared to Sinovac's 50.4%.
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But a 50.4% efficacy rate can go a long way, he said, as it is proven to prevent death.
Sinovac has left the general public in the dark about their late stage clinical trial data. The Department of Health said it had access to such information.
