PGH ramps up vaccine rollout preps as inoculation drive nears

MANILA – The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) has ramped up all necessary preparations and requirements for the upcoming vaccine rollout as the country expects the arrival of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccines.

PGH, the biggest Covid-19 referral hospital in the country, held a series of simulation exercises as part of its preparation for the inoculation of its front-liners and the massive vaccination rollout nationwide.

PGH spokesperson Jonas del Rosario on Thursday said they have been conducting thorough studies and diligently practicing the processes of the inoculation program by holding a series of dry runs.

The adopted process of simulations for the inoculation has four steps.

Step 1 is the registration where individuals who wish to get vaccinated will have to sign up for the program.

They will be asked if they have existing allergies and will be informed about the benefits and advantages of getting the jab.

Qualified vaccine recipients will then undergo general screening.

Step 2 is the screening process, counseling, and checking the recipient’s current health status including vital signs, blood pressure, and body temperature.

PGH’s vaccination providers will be using a standardized and comprehensive screening tool.

Patients must sign a consent form before having administered with the vaccine.

It would take 3 to 5 minutes of processing during this stage –– filling out the forms, counseling, vital checking, and giving the patient’s consent.

Step 3 is the vaccination proper, where pharmacists will prepare vials before giving them to vaccinators who will then facilitate the administering of vaccines.

PGH assured the public that it will adopt proper steps and processes for the preparation of vials depending on the brand of vaccines that will arrive in the hospital.

For the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, PGH held a very careful process of simulation since they require a temperature of 2°C to 8°C and must be administered within 6 hours.

During Step 4, vaccine recipients will be monitored from 30 minutes to one hour to see if the vaccine has any adverse effects.

PGH said it is preparing emergency responses for those who will experience adverse reactions after being administered with the vaccines.

Vaccine recipients may suffer from mild side effects such as headache and dizziness that can be
treated immediately by paracetamol or the pain could go away on its own by relaxing.

PGH assured that its medical response team will be on stand-by during the vaccination day to immediately assist patients.

The worst-case scenario that the PGH is preparing for is when a vaccine recipient would suffer from ‘dyspnea’, a medical term for shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.

Assistance will be immediately provided and the patient will be brought to the emergency room.

Well-prepared

Del Rosario assured that PGH has been conducting a series of dry runs for the inoculation rollout to make sure accurate process would be followed once the drive starts.

“Hindi pa kami kuntento, meron pang malamang isa o dalawa (We are not yet contented, we will be having one or two more simulations) until the real day,” he said.

On Monday, around 50 healthcare workers will undergo another set of simulations for the rollout of the vaccination program.

PGH personnel and medical staff are all excited for the arrival of the Covid-19 vaccines, he said.

“Sana nga mangyari na dahil hinihintay na rin namin (We hope it will happen soon because we have been waiting for it),” he added.

According to del Rosario, at least 5,000 healthcare workers have registered for the vaccination program.

PGH will be the first hospital in the country to receive the initial batch of Covid-19 vaccines.

Once the vaccine supplies are available, healthcare workers will be prioritized for the vaccination.