By Daniel P. Tapaoan, Jr. 

The Department of Health (DOH) and the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMH&MC) have started vaccinating the employees of Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) at the Teatro Ilocandia today, June 17. 

The initial roll-out of the vaccination aims to benefit 1,000 university employees, prioritizing senior citizens and those with comorbidities.

Themed Resbakuna: Kasangga ng Bida, the national vaccination campaign has enabled 260 MMSU employees and volunteers to get their first dose of the Sinovac vaccine this Thursday. 

“I feel so delighted right now, because finally, members of the MMSU family are getting the jabs against COVID-19,” expressed University President Shirley C. Agrupis, adding that "we are now getting closer to becoming a truly COVID-resilient university."

Dr. Agrupis said the MMSU’s vaccination drive became possible after she asked the MMMH&MC and DOH to help the university allocate the vaccines for its eligible employees based on the government's priority listing.

The MMSU’s inoculation team is composed of personnel from the College of Medicine (COM), College of Health Science (CHS), Health and Wellness Services Directorate, Information and Technology Center, and the College of Arts and Sciences - Department of Computing and Information Sciences. Meanwhile, the MMMH&MC provided technical assistance and coaching to the MMSU team. 

In the University’s Resbakuna site, employees undergo registration, counseling and final consent, screening, vaccination, as well as post-vaccination and monitoring.

Dr. Gretchen Ranada, MMMH&MC’s COVID-19 vaccine coordinator, said the success of the implementation of the vaccination drive in MMSU would determine “the possible provision of vaccine doses, which may lead to achieving herd immunity in the university.”

For his part, Dr. Ricardo S. Guanzon, overall in-charge of MMSU vax drive, encouraged other university employees to get vaccinated, saying that all COVID-19 jabs certified by the DOH are safe and effective. 

“It is time to get vaccinated while it is here, because the vaccination will add a layer of protection to us and to those who cannot vaccinate, aside from wearing face masks and face shields and observing physical distancing,” Guanzon expressed. 

“Getting vaccinated brings us closer into going back to normal and to mitigate the pandemic. Regardless the brand, I believe that vaccines do really work, and the best vaccine is the really one available,” mused May Enaccel Macalan, a COM student and one of the vaccinees. (StratCom)