Jabbed

Happy snaps! I finally got my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine today.

When the COVID vaccination started in the Philippines early this year, I wasn’t exactly in a hurry to get one. When I found out through our HR that Barangay Bel-Air of Makati City is preparing a list for vaccination of non-residents working in Makati, I initially thought it would be best to wait for it knowing that Makati has better logistics and processes compared to Pasay. 

Besides, Chinese vaccine Sinovac was getting such bad rap in the beginning in comparison with AstraZeneca, Pfizer, or Moderna which are developed in the West. It’s easy to understand why most of us are reluctant to get vaccinated and would rather wait for the other brands.

But witnessing how two of my uncles died from COVID within a matter of days was a rude awakening. From that point on, all I’ve been waiting for was a chance to get inoculated. Frankly, I didn’t care anymore what they use on me. 

Getting the vaccine will not make me immune to the virus, but having it will reduce the risk of developing severe COVID complications. For me, that’s what’s important. 

Earlier, the COVID-19 task force has determined priority groups for vaccination are the following:

A1: Frontline workers in health facilities both national and local, private and public, health professionals and non-professionals like students, nursing aides, janitors, barangay health workers, etc.

A2: Senior citizens aged 60 years old and above

A3: Persons with comorbidities not otherwise included in the preceding categories

A4: Frontline personnel in essential sectors including uniformed personnel and those in working sectors identified by the IATF as essential during ECQ.

***

In Pasay at least, even while coming up with the very witty slogan, “Vacc to the Future”, the process itself is anything but groundbreaking. 

Registration is required and walk-ins are not allowed due to the limited availability. I filled out an online form on my mom’s behalf but I wasn’t sure if it went through because we never received a schedule. 

Not getting any notification from my online registration, I started reaching out to our barangay. Every day I would message them asking for updates. It was disappointing how they don’t know anything most of the time and how they sorely lack coordination with the LGUs.

I have all the reasons to press them. The recent deaths in the family and close contacts being tested positive made all of us extra protective of my mom. Among us in the household, she’s the most at risk from COVID and only vaccination can ease all our worries.

Last month, she and my younger brother Chito, who’s classified as A3 (person with comorbidity), got their first dose. At the time it was only my mom who was scheduled and Chito was just there to accompany her. While they were there, however, the LGU opened a few slots for A3 so he took the chance. Good thing he brought with him a scanned medical certificate and his asthma inhaler. 

Knowing that my mom got her first dose was such a relief for all of us here at home, even more so when she didn’t manifest any side effects from it. No pain, swelling, fever, weakness, dizziness, swelling — nothing. That old lady is a toughie, I tell you.

***

Since then, it made me want to get the vaccine for myself too but I wasn’t sure if my hypothyroidism is considered comorbidity. I asked my endocrinologist about it on my last visit and she said, definitely, I’m already classified as A3 now that I’m taking Atorvastatin for my high cholesterol levels. No need for me to secure a Medical Certificate; all I need to show as proof is my prescription where she had also indicated her diagnosis. 

I check the Pasay City Public Information Office page every day to see if they will open a slot for the first dose for A3. Unfortunately, all I have been seeing the past few days are slots for the A2 and A3 on their second dose and no one from the PCPIO can tell me when they will start opening up schedules for those who will be getting the first dose. 

The thing with our LGU is that they usually announce the schedule a day before the vaccination itself. This is very problematic because I have work and last-minute leaves are frowned upon. 

*** 

Thankfully, last night I got a Facebook message from one of our more reliable barangay officials saying that there’s an available schedule for A2 and A3 first dose today. I was so happy to hear that because I have no work on Mondays (due to our reduced hours). 

The barangay official said I should be at Juan Sumulong Elementary School by 8:30AM as they will only have 200 doses available on a first-come, first-served basis. No problem for me — I’m always the early bird so if you say 8:30AM, expect that I’ll be there an hour early. 

When I got there, the queue was still short but they wouldn’t list me because they were asking for an ID that has my address on it. I have all my IDs with me, but none of it shows my address. They told me that a barangay certificate will suffice so I immediately called Chito and asked him to get me one. 

At first, they were quite firm and wouldn’t want to put me on the list yet without the certificate. But after a while, the person who’s doing the initial screening handed me the forms and put me on the list. She said, however, that the next people (DOH representatives) might not be as considerate as her so I still need to make sure that I have the barangay clearance by then. 

It was nerve-wracking when the line starts to move and I can see from a distance that the two DOH people were actually checking the requirements one by one and were refusing those who have nothing to show. Gosh, I can’t be turned away just because I don’t have a valid ID as proof that I’m a resident of Pasay. 

Just as it was about my turn to be screened, another DOH rep arrived and was assigned to me. Lo and behold, she never asked for any identification or certificate anymore. She just checked the accomplished form and asked if it’s my first or second dose. What the heck. All that trouble I put my brother through for nothing.

I was then referred to one of the doctors who are using a pre-recorded questionnaire which we could hear through this Bluetooth speaker. All I have to do is to answer by either just nodding or shaking my head. Then I was also asked about my comorbidities. Shortly after that, I was asked to proceed to the next step where they asked us to watch a video.

When I got there, I realized that many people (mainly because most of the people getting vaccines are seniors) are skipping this step and would proceed straight to vaccination. No one was really checking so I bypassed this step too.

Following a quick checking of my blood pressure and temperature, I got injected with the vaccine. I’ve never been scared of needles because even in pre-pandemic I always get my yearly flu shots and I’m so used to blood extractions that I hardly felt it. 

I was already in the post-vaccination monitoring area when my brother came with the two copies of my barangay certificate—which of course is no longer necessary. I feel bad so I offered to buy him lunch but he refused. He also asked me if I wanted him to wait (he was on his motorcycle) but I said he can go and I’ll just go home by myself since I still have to go through two post-vaccine monitoring (checking my vitals). The first one is after 15 minutes from the inoculation and then wait another 30 minutes.

After getting normal vitals on the two post-vaccine monitoring, they said I’m free to go but reminded me to go back on June 7 for my second dose. Sinovac only needed 28 days for the next shot. I heard that if it’s AstraZeneca, one has to wait 12 weeks for the booster.

***

Most of my friends who saw my posts on Instagram and Facebook were happy that I already had my first dose. Surprisingly though, there are still some who asked me why I settled for Sinovac. 

My answer? Well, I just don’t want to wait anymore—not with the increasing cases in the country when more and more people I know are getting infected (and some were unlucky enough not to survive it). As what CDC said, the best COVID-19 vaccine is the first one that is available to you. Delaying the vaccine in hopes of getting your preferred brand only leaves you and others at risk of contracting COVID-19.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s one’s absolute right to choose the brand of vaccine they will get. If you wanted to wait for the Western vaccines, then that’s up to you. All I know is getting the vaccine you prefer doesn’t mean you had it better than those people who were inoculated with Sinovac. All vaccines provide a better level of virus protection, that’s it. 

Take it from one of the richest families in the Philippines, Ayala Corporation chairman Jaime Zobel de Ayala and his wife Bea got Sinovac because they know there is no Moderna vaccine arriving anytime soon. Don’t believe me? Read about it here. 

And most of all, getting the vaccine as soon as it is available to you will not only prevent you from getting severely sick, but it would also help us in achieving “herd immunity” sooner. Isn’t that what we all want so we can all go back to how things were?