Mic Drop
By Bea Jenine Endaya
After vaccinating a wave of medical frontliners and senior citizens in Cavite, several cities in the province started opening slots of vaccination for non-senior adults and youth with comorbidities in accordance with the Department of Health’s Priority Group. In addition, college students will also be given free vaccines as universities in the province aim for face-to-face classes according to Gov. Jonvic Remulla in his Facebook live last April 16, 2021. This raised the bar of hope to Caviteños being extra safe from the virus especially this time where COVID-19 cases are rapidly rising in the province.
Receiving the vaccine means equipping a person’s body with antibodies that will provide protection against the disease-causing virus which in this case, is the Coronavirus. As a person belonging to a latter priority group and with the chance to be vaccinated, I refuse to receive the vaccine. Not because I do not fear the virus, but because I am taking into consideration the situation of our country right now.
As of April 16, 2021 the total number of cases in Cavite is exactly 33,487. Around 7,000 active cases, more than 25,000 recoveries, and about 800 deaths have been recorded in the Provincial Information and Community Affairs Department (PICAD). I consider this as one of the main reasons why I do not think I can receive my vaccine just yet. The quick rise of cases in the province means more vaccines are needed for those who are more prioritized like at-risk citizens in terms of health. As someone healthy and someone who seldom goes out even before the pandemic began, I still do not consider myself completely safe from the virus, however, I am observing proper safety protocols and practices every day at home together with my family.
Also, the biggest debate of Filipinos whether to take the vaccine or not, are the list of vaccines to be offered and their efficacy. As has been noted, I am a person with no underlying health conditions. With unsure efficacy of vaccines, I do not think I can risk myself getting sick instead of getting protection from the vaccine. To illustrate, a rare case of blood-clot death was confirmed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia after being vaccinated by the AstraZeneca vaccine. This case, although rare, has high probability to scare people. The vaccines’ negative side effects together with its low efficacy rates create doubt to people and I am one of them. Again my point is if I am to receive a vaccine, I want to make sure that it will completely protect me from the virus.
The bottom line here is that our country is still lacking. Given the fear ensued by the continuous rise of COVID cases, even if I choose to be vaccinated because I am afraid, I do not think I can receive one. The number of vaccines available in the country, according to the statistics report, is 1.62M doses only. Compare that to the 108.1M people of the Philippines (about 3M of which are from the province of Cavite). Add the fact that as the number of cases rise each day, the more the hospitals are running out of rooms to accommodate patients, too. Additionally, the efficacy of currently available vaccines in the country caused doubts and second thoughts in the majority of the people. More advanced research and thorough studies regarding this matter is highly advisable to encourage more people to be vaccinated and be safe from the virus, especially this time that a handful of COVID variants are present in the country. The country needs to act in accordance with the fast rising cases or all of us might be affected. With these points given, I rest my take on not receiving the vaccine because, I know that with the limited resources and lack of advanced plans provided by the current government, a lot more people at-risk need the vaccine than I do.
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