CAMIGUIN (PIA)--Seeking ways to further protect people against the coronavirus disease (COVID)-19, the Department of Health (DOH)-10, together with Camiguin General Hospital (CGH), launched the COVID-19 Bivalent (Pfizer) Vaccination, July 1, 2023, at the said hospital.

DOH-10 brought about 300 doses of the vaccine for the workers at CGH, where every healthcare worker in the facility will now have five doses in total.

“Whether we like it or not, COVID-19 is here with us. To tell you frankly, 95% of our cases now, labi na katong mga (especially the) severe, moderately severe ones, are non-vaccinated or were only vaccinated once. So it’s very clear that the vaccines that we have are really effective and safe,” Local Health Support Division Chief Dr. David Mendoza of DOH-10 said.

However, he added that the vaccine does not prevent a person from having the infection; rather, it prevents a person from developing a severe and critical condition.

“We are not only protecting ourselves; we are protecting people around us and our community,” Mendoza said, citing the importance of the healthcare workers’ voluntary submission to receive the vaccination.

For her part, Dr. Gretchen Cabalang said the personnel should not be afraid to receive the vaccine and should be thankful that the office is given priority to receive the vaccine. “I know this is our fifth dose; ato ni siyang i-embrace (let us embrace this),” she added.

As of June 30, 2023, Mendoza said the region has 46 active cases of COVID-19, and based on DOH-10’s hospital utilization rate, patients now come to the hospital not because of COVID but due to their comorbidity, which makes them immunocompromised to such a virus. (RTP/PIA-10/Camiguin)