Don't hesitate, let's vaccinate!

We just had our 2021 March General Assembly for Brgy Dist 19 and although not all our constituents were in attendance, we still had a successful event where the highlight was the topic of RESBAKUNA. Ormoc City is lucky to have Mayor Richard Gomez who procured AstraZeneca vaccines for all Ormocanons. We're all getting it for FREE!!!

However, a lot of people are quite hesitant and checked the box for "No/Unknown" in the forms for the vaccination program. Why is that? Because most people are afraid. They are misinformed and a lot tend to believe in #FakeNews rather than what real experts have to say.

I'm not an expert but I am the Chairman of the Committee on Health & Sanitation for Brgy Dist 19. I'm part of the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT).  Also, it's just common sense to choose which one is better -- TUBO or TUSOK? (Tube or needle prick?) Think of the vaccine as a file copy of SARS-COV2 or COVID-19. It's not the live virus because it's inactive. IT WILL NOT GIVE YOU COVID ITSELF! So, now let's say your body is the computer and the vaccine is in the USB that will be plugged into you. After the copy is saved and if ever the REAL COVID infects you, the body is now able to deal with the virus because it now has antibodies and the immune system will fight it. We'll be 76% protected from severe COVID infection and at most, you'll get symptoms similar to the regular flu. Imagine getting the vaccine is basically like installing an antivirus in your body just like what we do for our computers. That's all there is to it! 

A lot of our elder/senior citizen residents voiced the same concerns regarding their hypertension, diabetes, and other comorbidities. The younger ones and the general population, myself included, are more concerned about allergies. Thankfully, Doc Rhodette Arevalo answered a lot of the concerns and gave clarifications to the burning questions of our residents. Leisly Yap and May Aringoy from the City Health Office also came to explain how the vaccine works and conducted an open forum.  


Don't hesitate, let's vaccinate! Don't be scared because our frontliners have already received their shots. The most common side effects of AstraZeneca reported which are felt by 1 in 10 people are tenderness/redness at the injection site, feeling tired (fatigue), chills or feeling feverish, headache, feeling sick (nausea), joint pain or muscle aches. These are the same things you probably felt as a kid when you got vaccinated and your parents gave you paracetamol to relieve any discomfort. 

So, don't worry about getting vaccinated. We're not kids. We're all adults!!! Technically, because only 18+ above will be given the shots. Besides, doctors will still evaluate us all before we get vaccinated. If you're not qualified/fit or your results say otherwise, that will be a different story. Just be honest in filling out the details on your forms. Hand in hand, let's fight the COVID-19, so we can try and get back to our normal lives soon! 


Maria Franco

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