Last week, I had my second Covid 19 vaccination shot. At first, I was hesitant to get the Sinovac into my bloodstream. But my daughter (also my doctor), was like a bulldog with its jaws tightly clamped around my leg. She wouldn’t let go. She kept on badgering me to get the Vaccine. I ultimately did, just to get her off my back.

But seriously, how many people out there are as lucky (or unlucky) as I am to have someone tell them, coax them, or intimidate them to get vaccinated? How many more people will be infected before they even see the shadow of that tiny little needle? How many more will needlessly die?

These questions kept bobbing up in my head, wanting to be let loose, find answers. So I discussed them with a few people as socially- conscious as I am. And we came up with this.

Please read and share it. The life you save may be your own…

~oOo~

An Open Letter to Gen. (Retired) Carlito Galvez, IATF-EID VACCINE CZAR

Dear Gen. Galvez,

We are respectfully writing to make an appeal that we believe only you as Vaccine Czar has the authority, power, and resources to address and resolve.

First of all, please allow us to say that we have every confidence in your capabilities, in your integrity and we are grateful for your high standard of public service. This is why we feel comfortable and confident that you will be fair and believe that we are writing to you Sir in good faith.

The people in the barangays where we live, mostly want to be Covid-19 vaccinated but they are at a loss for information on when they can have the vaccine shots.

There are times when our Barangay leaders will, on very short notice, announce that some vaccines are available and ask the people to come over to get vaccinated. And yes some of us do get vaccinated but many are turned away because “na ubos na ang batch na dumating.”

So “marami po ang maghintay na man“- for days or weeks or months. So ito po ang pattern na nangyari sa pagbibigay nang bakuna.

We believe that this is happening across the cities and provinces all over the country. People get frustrated and some are discouraged in waiting again.

Sir, you can help resolve this growing unease by releasing information about best-estimated availability as in doses volume rolling month by month for the next say three to six months by province and city.

People will understand that estimates may still be short but at least they have something concrete to hang on to. This projection into the future will be a joint effort by your team and the DILG and DOH. We have confidence that DOH will be given a key role in determining allocations by province and city in line with epidemiology data. The DILG will have the key role in breaking down the projection into town/city and into barangay level.

We also request that the availability projection into the future be identified by vaccine brand name as in Sinovac, Astra Zeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, etc because as you probably are already aware, a substantial number of our countrymen prefer to be vaccinated by a vaccine other than Sinovac. We believe we should allow for this preference otherwise we may not achieve the overall goal of vaccine coverage to achieve herd immunity.

Gen. Galvez, the second major point in our appeal is the review of our government’s position on the indemnity clause in our contracts with the vaccine suppliers.

Our position is different from most other countries that are ahead of us in vaccination progress. It is our understanding that we are experiencing delays in availability because of our requirement in the indemnification clause that is different from other countries’ requirements. We urge your good office to review and change our requirement in order to avoid the delays.

We trust you will give our appeal due consideration. We know you seek the same aspirations as we do for a timely and adequate Covid-19 vaccination of citizens in all barangays of our beloved Philippines.

Respectfully yours,

Concerned Citizens of the Philippines

~oOo~

But above all, maximum effort is necessary to make our citizens submit to vaccination. Many Filipinos are still shying away from it.

To cite an example, in my family of five brothers and a system, I am the only one willing to be vaccinated. On the date of my first shot, I was the only one in my barangay in the vaccination center although my barangay was scheduled on that day.

From the ground, there are several reasons for this unwillingness. But the major ones are:

1. Lack of cooperation from barangay chairpersons: This can be dealt with by censuring in the strongest possible way, any barangay chairperson who shows a poor turnover of his constituents in the vaccination centers.
2.  Distrust for the Sinovac: You can’t blame them. After the Melamin, fake race, and tainted noodles fiascos, who would trust the Chinese? If Tiktok was food, I am sure it will not be as popular as it is now.
3. Religious culture. Almost every day, we can see FB posts from people imploring Divine Mercy that they are protected from the virus. I asked a priest friend if it is possible for him to plug into his homily the need to be vaccinated. He refused for the reason that it is a government affair. What a lame reason. Governments don’t get infected, citizens do. The Church won’t get infected, parishioners do. Covid 19 is the concern of everyone.
4. Ignorance or stupidity: There is no cure for this. Even my own brother says he will only take the vaccine if it is to cure the covid 19. For an engineer, he certainly doesn’t know the difference between curative and preventive. Anyway, just hope that they are not that many to make your 70% herd immunity target unachievable.

~oOo~

The post Covid 19: To Be or Not to Be Vaccinated, and When appeared first on Age With Charm.