There were so many hesitations about the safety of many brands of vaccination as safeguards against Covid. Our families in Manila, Makati and Cebu had no qualms about it and readily had their respective vaccinations. The brand did not matter. They all thought fears were all in the mind.
In Cebu, I saw friends like Jun Muntuerto, Peter Dy, Mario and Jane Panganiban, Mary Ann Alcordo, David and Tess Chan, Melanie Ng, among many others, feeling good with no side effects after their two doses of vaccination.
It was then my turn after my brother had it.
Although I have always been scared of injections, I still chose to have the anti-flu and pneumonia vaccinations even before the pandemic lockdown occurred. No ill effects.
I had my first dose of Sinovac on April 22, then my second dose on May 24. Yes, there was a slight needle pain and my blood pressure was a little high (140) during the first and second doses because I had no sleep the previous nights. But after some restful minutes in the post-vaccination area, I was allowed to go home “safe and sound.”
The UC Medical Center had the right ambiance: clean and spacious, well-equipped with needed medical equipment, orderly arrangement of tables and chairs, very organized procedure, courteous and qualified personnel, doctors and nurses, frontliners, security staff and volunteers.
The presence of Cebu City Vice Mayor Mike Rama and Dr. Peter Mancao motivated the senior citizens who expressed some qualms about the process. They explained clearly the rationale and relevance of the vaccination. They were warmly applauded.
I had a talk with a few colleagues, who at first hesitated to be vaccinated. They doubted the safety of the vaccines and worried about some isolated cases of deaths, complications and mishandling of the process. One was advised by her son residing in the US “to stay put and wait for the proper time, until the vaccination brand is proven safe.”
Data showed that the younger age brackets, like a few of my students, were more willing to get vaccinated. “It is like an adventure,” one quipped, “I would like to test my forte!” But, one senior, my brother, Landon, was even more gutsy, uttering, ”I can handle any vaccination because I have the energy to cope with it!”
Now that more citizens agree to get vaccinated in Cebu City, a few barangays, like Apas, are slowly processing application forms. The residents, however, are still awaiting updates on the vaccination schedules. What’s taking the barangays long?
Vaccine, anyone?