PNP CHIEF Gen. Guillermo Eleazar and members of his Command Group yesterday received their first doses of COVID-19 vaccines as the government’s inoculation program opened for the A4 category in the national police.
Health Assistant Secretary Maria Francia Laxamana gave Eleazar the vaccine made by China’s Sinovac Biotech.
The police officials got the shots to convince all policemen on the safety of vaccines. At least 7 percent of the 220,000 policemen nationwide are hesitant to have themselves inoculated.
Eleazar said having policemen vaccinated would allow them to better perform their duties, without fear of serious adverse effects in case they are infected.
“We can perform our jobs better as frontliners if we are vaccinated against COVID-19,” Eleazar said in Pilipino.
Eleazar said the PNP was allotted an initial of 500 doses. More doses will be supplied to the PNP as more vaccines are expected to arrive in the country in the next weeks.
He asked policemen not to choose what vaccine brand they want to be inoculated with as they need to put in mind that they need to be protected from the coronavirus.
Eleazar announced another policeman succumbed to complications from COVID-19, which brings to 71 the total number of COVID-related deaths as of June 14.
He said the latest fatality was a 47-year-old cop with a rank of senior master sergeant detailed with the Davao Oriental Police Provincial Office who was infected on June 3.
As of June 14, the PNP Health Service has recorded 164 more confirmed cases, bringing the total to 25,866 with 1,865 still active cases while 89 recoveries were tallied, which brings to total number of recoveries to 23,930.
An exasperated President Duterte on Monday night told people who are refusing to be vaccinated to start planning for their funeral. — with Jocelyn Montemayor
