‘Spreading speculation and fear about vaccines in the name of politics will only harm folks who should have gotten extra protection but may have been scared off by these inanities. And in the end, who suffers?’
IT’S the usual topic of discussion in group chats or conversations (no, this is not about boxing), especially for folks in the National Capital Region and its nearby provinces: have you gotten vaccinated yet? When it comes to this question, everyone is expected to weigh in with their own circumstances carefully — the level of risk they face on a daily basis, their medical history, their unique personal circumstances.
I have heard a lot of folks express hesitation about receiving the Sinovac vaccine, mostly related to the fact that the stage 3 results of the China-vaccine trial has not yet been released for peer review. However, my understanding is that this has already been done, and so far, folks who have been inoculated with Sinovac (including our healthcare workers who really need all the protection they can get) have not experienced side effects apart from the usual expectations.
I have listened to people who initially expressed hesitation about Sinovac, and the discernment process they went through that made them decide to get the vaccine. One doctor friend of mine explained that while she was not one hundred percent confident, she said she got some measure of protection because of her increased exposure due to her work. Another friend of mine, who has comorbidity, mentioned that she was comfortable getting the Sinovac jab as she did not want to catch a severe case of COVID.
Listening to conversations on social media, some younger folks have expressed their fear that catching COVID will wipe out their savings. I was horrified to come across one story which mentioned that the hospitalization bill of one of his parents reached almost P10 million. Ten million pesos, let that sink in. I don’t know many people who will be liquid enough to cough up that amount of money and still be able to manage their day-to-day existence. Even if you are lucky enough not to catch a severe case of COVID that would require confinement, the expenses of testing alone cut into a big chunk of one’s finances.
One friend related to me how his partner had to pay P12,000 for a single home service PCR test, as the parent was already in quarantine and there was nobody available to drive the patient to any of the testing centers.
So yes, more than the fear of possible death because of a severe case of the virus, the fear of not being able to cope financially with hospitalization is a very real concern for many in the middle class. As one friend said: “I am one hospitalization away from bankruptcy.” I hope folks who stubbornly insist that those who have chosen to take the Sinovac jab offered by the LGUs should be branded as “supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte” consider how thoughtless and obtuse this point of view is. While there are valid and legitimate views that most folks have been forced to accept Sinovac (it seems that the other brands have been conveniently delayed, for one reason or another), let us not demonize folks who have, as a result of their own discernment, chosen to protect themselves from the virus. Spreading speculation and fear about vaccines in the name of politics will only harm folks who should have gotten extra protection but may have been scared off by these inanities. And in the end, who suffers?
So yes, dear millennials and fillennials, should you have a chance to get inoculated soon, have that conversation with your doctor to weigh the pros and cons of getting a vaccine.
Consider your health, consider the level of risk you are exposed to, and most of all, consider the science and not the innuendo. Be safe, be healthy, and until the next week.
