FPM.news asked medical workers in the Philippines what they want to tell fellow Filipinos about getting vaccinated against SARS2. What they say is that it’s the same all over the world, “don’t walk but run toward any chance to get vaccinated against COVID-19.”
How Vaccines Work: Filipino sub titles.
“If you fear the needle, look the other way. Exercise your right to health safety. Get yourself and your family vaccinated and sleep easier,” says Dr. Anderson of the global women’s group RINJ.
If you fear the needle, look the other way.
Photo Credit: Micheal John / FPMag
by Sharon Santiago, Melissa Hemingway, and Micheal John
The authors of this article have been vaccinated with good outcomes.
China scientists work hard to deliver good vaccines to the world.
Photo Credit: Kathy Poon
“Hello, po. Kamusta ang buhay? Your doctor and local nurses, people trusted for their healthcare expertise in our Philippines’ provinces, are eagerly getting vaccinated against COVID-19 infection. Their trust that vaccines work is your example and good reason to do the same. Get vaccinated at your earliest opportunity,” says Karinna Angeles, an Asian-Canadian public health nurse based in Manila.
“In the United States, in states (like a province) where vaccinations are low, especially among seniors, the Delta variant is spreading like wildfire. But in states where people have had two doses, cases are not rising rapidly.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Vaccination is a safe and effective way to prevent disease and save lives – now more than ever. Today there are vaccines available to protect against at least 20 diseases, such as diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza and measles. Together, these vaccines save the lives of up to 3 million people every year.
- “When we get vaccinated, we aren’t just protecting ourselves,” but also those precious family members and friends around us, say the doctors at WHO .
- “During the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination continues to be critically important.”
Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against hospital admission with the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant
New analysis by Public Health England, shows that 2 doses of COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against hospitalisation from the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant. The same data applies to the Alpha variant, the analysis says.
Receiving two doses of the vaccine, the primary and the booster, are critically important.
- “The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 96% effective against hospitalisation after 2 doses
- “he Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective against hospitalisation after 2 doses,” says the report from the study.
Public Health England reports that, “The analysis included 14,019 cases of the Delta variant—166 of whom were hospitalised—between 12 April and 4 June, looking at emergency hospital admissions in England.”
Read if you like the preliminary findings: Preprint of the Effectiveness-of-COVID-19-vaccines-against-hospital-admission-with-the-Delta-B_1_617_2variant
Vaccination against Coronaviruses is a normal part of health care.
WHO (World Health Organization) approved vaccines to date.
- The Pfizer/BioNtech Comirnaty vaccine was listed for WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) on 31 December 2020.
- The SII/Covishield and AstraZeneca/AZD1222 vaccines (developed by AstraZeneca/Oxford and manufactured by the State Institute of India and SK Bio respectively) were given EUL on 16 February 2021.
- The Janssen/Ad26.COV 2.S developed by Johnson & Johnson, was listed for EUL on 12 March 2021.
- The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA 1273) was listed for EUL on 30 April 2021 and the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine was listed for EUL on 7 May 2021. The Sinopharm vaccine is produced by Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd, subsidiary of China National Biotec Group (CNBG).
- The Sinovac-CoronaVac was listed for EUL on 1 June 2021.
“Vaccination is a vital, part of normal health care and that is your right. Claim your rights. Get vaccinated,” says Doctor Anderson.
“Get vaccinated because that is your right. Don’t get vaccinated just because you are afraid of COVID-19; don’t get vaccinated because you are afraid of your government; think positively and get vaccinated because this is a new, vital part of normal health care to which you have rights. Every person in the world needs to get vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus because that is how this, like polio and other illness, is defeated,” said nurse Angeles.
“We Filipinos, like people all over the world, are in a fight against tiny, dangerous germs (including virus and bacteria types of pathogens). This is a long fight we have known about for a long time and must take it seriously,” nurse Angeles added.
How do vaccines work?
Basically, vaccines contain weakened, replica, or inactive parts of a particular organism that causes the human body to have an immune response. In simple terms, that means the body will create an army of cells that fight the virus.
According to the Oxford University Vaccine Group, “Vaccines can be divided into a number of different types, but ultimately work on the same principle. This is to stimulate the immune response to recognise a pathogen (a disease-causing organism) or part of a pathogen. Once the immune system has been trained to recognise this, if the body is later exposed to the pathogen, it will be removed from the body. Specifically, the immune system recognises foreign ‘antigens’, parts of the pathogen on the surface or inside the pathogen, that are not normally found in the body.”
Newer vaccines contain the blueprint for fighting the virus by producing what are called antigens. Think of antigen as your soldiers.
According to the World Health Organization, Filipinos should know that “Newer vaccines contain the blueprint for producing antigens rather than the antigen itself. That means there is nothing scary in the vaccine. Regardless of whether the vaccine is made up of the antigen itself or the blueprint so that the body will produce the antigen, this weakened version will not cause the disease in the person receiving the vaccine, but it will prompt their immune system to respond much as it would have on its first reaction to the actual pathogen.”
Current Philippines goals:
“We want to prevent further the entry of this Delta variant,” Department of Health spokesman Maria Rosario Vergeire told a media briefing on Monday.
All of the vaccines approved in the Philippines are the best in the world. And they are free.
“If you get seriously sick from COVID-19,” notes Karinna Angeles, “you will need to spend at least P52,000 (about $1,100.00 USD) for six vials of anti-viral medicine, Remdesivir—at senior citizen discount rates so Filipino seniors need to have their senior’s card in their wallet,” says nurse Angeles.
“On top of that expect about P48,000 to P500,000 for the hospital stay including other medicines; blood tests and other tests; and oxygen.”
Philippines: P52,000 for 6 vials of Remdesivir, but vaccine is FREE
Philippines: 6 Vials of Remdesivir for P52,000 but Vaccine is FREE. Source supplied photo.
Art/Cropping/Enhancement: Rosa Yamamoto / Feminine-Perspective Magazine