Covid-19 vaccination in Davao begins

Photo by Mark Perandos
Photo by Mark Perandos

WHEN a barangay health worker went house-to-house to ask residents in Bangkal, Davao City about their willingness to accept Covid-19 vaccine, 55-year-old online worker Tejhay (not his real name) declined due to fears of possible complications.

For Alek, a tricycle driver in Jacinto St., Davao City, he wants to wait and observe first the results of the first few batches of individuals who received their vaccine jabs.

"Maayo ng makasiguro usa ta, kanang makita na gyud nato kung okay ba gyud na nga vaccine. Hulat-hulat sa ko (It is better to be sure and see the results first of how the first few individuals responded to the vaccine. I'll wait and see)," he said.

Tejhay and Alek are just a few of the many Filipinos who are still doubtful of the vaccine's efficacy despite multiple clinical trials proving it is safe and effective.

According to Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency that granted Sinovac's emergency use authorization (EUA) on February 22, the vaccine's efficacy rate after two doses is at 50 percent for mild cases, 78 percent for moderate cases, and 100 percent for severe cases, similar to the other novel Covid-19 vaccines.

With these established, how will the Department of Health (DOH) fight this misconception and fears from the general public?

Vaccination starts

On Friday, March 5, 2021, Davao Region started its vaccination program against Covid-19 at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) with jabs from Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac, which arrived this week in two batches with 12,000 doses on March 2 and 21,600 doses on March 4.

The region, at present, has a total of 33,600 doses of Sinovac's CoronaVac Covid-19 vaccine.

DOH-Davao Director Annabelle P. Yumang said the available vaccines can inoculate a total of 16,800 healthcare workers in the region.

"They will receive two doses of CoronaVac, with a 28-day interval from the first dose," she said.

In Davao Region, apart from SPMC, the vaccination activity will also be rolled out to other provinces, depending on the readiness of the different Local Government Units' implementing sites.

Yumang said the vaccination in Davao de Oro and Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) in Tagum City, Davao del Norte will start on March 8.

"From the regional office, ang vaccine i-tratravel po siya doon sa kanya kanyang provincial health offices," Yumang said.

She said based on the survey they conducted, 79 percent of DRMC's employees are willing to be vaccinated.

Yumang added that they are still collecting data as to the vaccine acceptance of the other provinces.

To allay fears of the public and fellow frontliners, SPMC officer -in-charge Dr. Ricardo Audan volunteered to be the first health worker inoculated with CoronaVac.

"I know many of you are still scared to be vaccinated. That is why I am volunteering myself to assure and show everyone that this is safe and effective. Disregard your fears and doubts now and let's unite to end the pandemic," he said on Friday, minutes before he got his jab, which was personally inoculated by DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III.

Frontliners' experiences

After Audan, 149 more health workers from SPMC received the vaccine on the first day of rollout.

"The goal is to inoculate 150 employees a day. We initially target to finish the vaccination for the first dose for 12 days but we were told to double time and committed to doing it in five days or a week," Audan said.

One of the first four health frontliners who received the vaccine is Dr. Almera Manan, an Internal Medicine resident in SPMC for three years. She was one of the thousands of medical workers who contracted the virus while on duty. She got infected in April last year and recovered in the same month.

"I was afraid before when I tested positive for Covid-19 because we only know a little about the virus back then. But now, I have no second thoughts of receiving the vaccine because this is our best defense against the virus," she told SunStar Davao in an interview while she was still under monitoring for 30 minutes after the inoculation.

All vaccine recipients were mandated to stay in a designated observation area for 30 minutes to check if they feel any adverse effects caused by the vaccine.

She emphasized that it is her personal choice to be inoculated and nobody forced her to receive it.

For Dr. Edmundo Visitacion Jr., a pathologist and regular consultant at SPMC, getting the vaccine is the best protection an individual can have in the long run.

"Since I am a doctor, I know that only vaccines can give us protection in the long run. If we don't have a vaccine, the possibility of getting Covid-19 is still high," he said.

He also added that the vaccine administrators secured their informed consent and that they underwent a health screening to ensure that those who will be vaccinated are eligible.

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Marie Yvette C. Barez also shared she felt completely normal after getting her CoronaVac jab.

"I am okay. I do not feel anything weird or bad. As an infectious disease specialist, it is my responsibility to protect myself, family, and even the community. Having the vaccine will protect the people," she said, adding her daily exposure to the virus makes her even more willing to get vaccinated.

"Vaccine has always been there to prevent the infection. Even before, we already have vaccines, it is just that this is a new virus. We have been receiving vaccines against measles, flu, etc., so why are we afraid of this vaccine?" she added.

She also reminded those who received the vaccine to still observe and maintain health protocols as the majority of the population is still not inoculated.

Meanwhile, for a 33-year-old SPMC nurse Jon Rey V. Estuya, the arrival of the vaccine is a ray of hope, especially for frontliners.

"I've been in the fight against Covid-19 for a year now, and I'm lucky enough to not contract the virus. But the daily fear is always there. With the vaccine, the anxiety and fear we feel every day were lowered, we are now more hopeful that there is light at the end of the tunnel," he said.

Estuya has been an SPMC employee for a decade now.

For a health worker who is dealing with Covid-19 cases daily, Estuya shared that getting a jab is what he has been hoping for months since the start of the pandemic.

"Daily, I am dealing with Covid-19 cases, even with the PPE on, I am still afraid, not just for myself but more on the possibility of bringing the virus to my home where my senior citizen parents and pregnant wife are," he shared.

"Nalipay gyud ko na naabot na ang vaccine (I am happy that the vaccine has finally arrived here). And if ever I'll test positive for Cvid-19 - God forbids - at least, with the vaccine, I won't be a severe or critical case," he said.

Vaccination campaign

To further raise awareness about the efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccines, the Presidential Communications Operations Office-Office of the Global Media and Public Affairs (PCOO-OGMPA) launched on March 3, a series of explainer videos dubbed "The VAXplainer."

"The VAXplainer is only a part of our numerous efforts and commitment to make Filipinos fully understand the importance of vaccines and convince them to be inoculated with the available safe and effective vaccines provided by the government," PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar said in a press statement.

The first episode of the VAXplainer focuses on the personal experience of Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain Alfonso Ver in getting vaccinated during the first phase of Bahrain's vaccination program from December 2020 to January 2021.

"The VAXplainer" can be viewed on PTV and IBC-13. It will also be live-streamed on the PCOO, National Task Force Against Covid-19, and Department of Health Facebook pages, as well as other government-affiliated social media pages.

In Mati City, Davao Oriental, the city government conducted a three-day information dissemination campaign on Covid-19 vaccination on March 3-5.

The city has already identified 24,000 individuals as priority for the vaccination. The list includes 400 health workers, other frontliners, senior citizens, and families in the lowest income bracket.

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