I must say I have nothing but praise for the vaccine roll-out in Cebu.
I was vaccinated via Project Balik Buhay (PBB). My vaccination center was at Chong Hua Mandaue where it was a seamless experience from beginning to end.
There were no crowds due to the appointment system. There were ushers who graciously guided us through each step. All the health care professionals on site were courteous, helpful, not to mention, considerate of all the photos being snapped on this historic occasion.
My father’s nurses were vaccinated at the mall via the government initiative when all health care workers were called to get their shots ahead of the general populace. As they could just walk in and get their shots without appointment, there were longer queues there.
Nevertheless, they had the same pleasant experience.
Our employees from two companies who belong to Category A3 (persons with comorbidities) were also vaccinated via PBB at two vaccination sites: Chong Hua Mandaue and Cebu Doctors’ Hospital.
They all came away with a positive experience. Many had been anxiously waiting for their vaccine notices to arrive. And when they finally popped up on their phone screens, their anxiety levels shot up.
Thankfully, no adverse reactions were experienced. One employee had a headache afterwards — nothing a Paracetamol could not solve.
I suspect, though, that the headache might have been a result of dehydration as well as of sleep and food deprivation due to extreme anxiety in anticipation of the shot.
Everyone had a great time, laughing about it afterwards. They said they could not sleep the night before — imagining all sorts of things happening to them. They thought they might collapse, stop breathing, die right there and then.
All were relieved that the needle was truly tiny as promised. In fact, some of them didn’t even realize that it was all over till they saw the Band-Aid on their arms.
Morale was high after vaccination. They felt relief, joy, excitement, pride. They’re ready for their second shot. Some of the most vaccine-hesitant employees before vaccination are now the staunchest vaccine advocates.
Sadly, despite all our efforts to educate our employees, not everyone is on board. Their hesitancy stems from fear — fear they will drop dead right after vaccination — as they’ve been told by anti-vaxxers.
No action we take in life is without risk. Even the act of closing our eyes at night involves the risk of never waking up. And yet we do it, anyway, every night.
I still remain hopeful, though, that in time, they will see the light.
I want to congratulate all the people responsible for the remarkable vaccine roll-out in Cebu which I must say, exceeded all my expectations.