Vaccination woes  

I went out on a field assignment to cover the first day of the national vaccination drive. Similar to the blockbuster movie lines, people were braving the heat of the sun just to get a jab. With a quick chat with some, I asked why the delay in their inoculation. Others responded that it took them some time to be finally convinced that vaccines are safe while others mentioned it was a requirement to keep their jobs.

While the argument on free will begins when controls are imposed on those who are unvaccinated, I think many of them have forgotten what it means to be in a pandemic. For some reason there are still individuals who do not believe in the presence of the virus. I guess because the enemy is so invisible to the naked eye, there is little faith in its existence. Numbers and statistics do not matter to those who do not care as long as they have enough food on their table to last them three meals a day.

It is such a pity to still hear arguments on the inefficiency of the vaccines. Scientists around the globe raced against time to produce such liquid gold. The reason that it has been accessible faster than other vaccines is because of the emergency use authority justified in a pandemic. We cannot wait for papers and the bureaucracy to approve the use of these when we are also racing against time to save lives. Millions were lost due to the virus, still others refuse to believe this reality.

In the next week, a couple of days will be set aside again to give importance to vaccination. I'm not so sure if the lines will be the same as the first day it was implemented but what I am sure of is that the region fell short of their target. Only Lapu-Lapu City was able to reach the ideal number of individuals to be vaccinated and went even a little over. Other provinces and cities have yet to catch up, to boost their numbers that are now in limbo paired with the hesitancy of others.

What would it take for our fellowmen to get vaccinated? It is a hard question to answer. They would simply shade you with their right to their bodies as stated in the Constitution, yet they have forgotten others' rights to be safe as well especially in this situation. Other local governments have already dangled goods, raffle prizes, and whatnot to have them get a jab. I really don't know what they are waiting for. It has been five months since I received my second dose and I am just fine as everyone else. There is no microchip or a magnet inside me, I have also not turned into a zombie. What else is there to prove?

It is important to get our numbers up then we can say that despite the presence of a new variant, we are somewhat protected from the critical effects of this deadly virus.