I HAVE been getting private messages from kababayans here in the United States and in the Philippines, seeking my advice regarding getting vaccinated against COVID.
They all say they are confused because of conflicting messages they get from different people, especially from among Filipinos who are very vocal about their mistrust of the government and of the vaccine and therefore scare and dissuade others from getting the shots despite the availability of the vaccines, especially here in the United States.
I would like to believe that all of us are coming from the same position of really wanting to save lives, especially our own family members — that is why we reach out to people for guidance so we can make better informed decisions which can spell the difference between life and death in our war against the coronavirus pandemic.
This is especially critical now more than ever because of the threat of the more contagious and deadly Delta variant of COVID-19 which has driven the surge of infection, hospitalization and death toll all over the world, sparing not even children, even here in the United States.
With the final approval granted to Pfizer vaccine after rigorous clinical trials following strict scientific protocols, the safety issue that makes many people adapt a “wait and see” attitude has now been addressed. Moderna is expected to get final approval soon, as we await other vaccines to fulfill all requirements to be fully approved.
Let us look at facts regarding how life-saving the vaccines have been as we discern about getting vaccinated, filtering through all the myths and disinformation that continue to be peddled by some.
We have heard the news of vaccinated people also getting infected and you ask why is that so if the vaccines are effective.
These are called “breakthrough infection cases.” While there is less than 1% of this happening, the vaccines have proven to save lives, something that not being vaccinated can protect you from COVID-19 and its variants.
The biggest number of Filipinos live in Los Angeles, California. Sadly, many among our kababayans there are also not using the most dependable tool we have to save our lives from the virus. Consider these data from the County of Los Angeles Public Health:
Fully vaccinated in LA County: 5,209,817
Tested positive among fully vaccinated: 32,678 (0.63%)
Hospitalized 881 (0.017%)
Died 95 (0.0018%)
“People who were “vaccinated but got hospitalized or died already had underlying conditions to begin with, “Balitang America LA correrspondent Steve Angeles pointed out. “I know one vaccinated Pinoy fighting for his life (kidney transplant recepient). “So healthy people that are vaccinated have a good chance of surviving,” or will not have fatal symptoms, he added.
Here are the data from the Centers from Disease Control (CDC) as reported by CNBC:
Unvaccinated people are about 29 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those who are fully vaccinated, according to a study released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new study, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, also found that unvaccinated people were nearly five times more likely to be infected with Covid than people who got the shots. The results are based on data from Los Angeles County between May 1 and July 25, the agency said.
“These infection and hospitalization rate data indicate that authorized vaccines were protective against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 during a period when transmission of the Delta variant was increasing,” the agency wrote in the study.
Dear pro-life Filipinos in America: Given these hard facts and information, what is the right and respoinsible course of action to help save lives? What can we do to attain herd immunity? How can we save the lives of children? How can we be part of the solution and not the problem?
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at [email protected], or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos.
