MANY of us made the thoughtful decision to immigrate to the United States so that we could give our family better access to health care especially during a medical emergency.
Well, we are in a medical emergency, and it is of a pandemic proportion that has killed more than 5.57 million people worldwide, infected 343 million and counting, and disrupted our lives more than any disease in the past century.
What we are getting now from the United States health care system is something kababayans in the Philippines can only dream and pray for. Yet, many of us have not full tapped into this blessing despite the grace that awaits us — the chance to save our lives and the lives of the more vulnerable people of society.
In fulfillment of the promise of the Biden Administration to lead us toward our collective effort to defeat the virus, we have already been supplied the arsenal we need to fight this war but not everyone of us has soldiered on.
We are in the worst and biggest health crisis of this century and we owe it to ourselves, to our family, to our community and to God to take care of the vessel of our souls and save lives. What are we waiting for? These vaccines, boosters, testing kits, free N-95 masks are FREE! Choose LIFE now!
FREE vaccine
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): “COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States are effective at protecting people from getting seriously ill, getting hospitalized, and even dying. As with vaccines for other diseases, people who are up to date are optimally protected. CDC recommends that everyone 5 years and older get their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines, and receive a booster dose when eligible.”
Pfizer-BioNtech
Ages Recommended: 5+ years old
Primary Series: 2 doses given 3 weeks (21 days) apart
Fully Vaccinated: 2 weeks after final dose in primary series
Booster Dose:
Everyone ages 12+ should get a booster dose at least 5 months after the last dose in their primary series. Teens 12–17 should only get a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine booster. Everyone 18+ should get a booster dose of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna (mRNA COVID-19 vaccines)
Moderna
Ages Recommended: 18+ years old
Primary Series: 2 doses, given 4 weeks (28 days) apart
Fully Vaccinated: 2 weeks after final dose in primary series
Booster Dose:
Everyone ages 18+ should get a booster dose of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna (mRNA COVID-19 vaccines) at least 5 months after the last dose in their primary series.
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen
Ages Recommended: 18+ years old
Primary Series: 1 dose
Fully Vaccinated: 2 weeks after 1st dose
Booster Dose:
Everyone ages 18+ should get a booster dose of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna (mRNA COVID-19 vaccines) at least 2 months after the first dose of J&J/Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. You may get J&J/Janssen in some situations.
FREE COVID test kits
The Biden administration has also amped up testing for all in order to determine if you are infected, whether or not you have symptoms, and whether or not you are full vaccinated and boosted. This is important so if tested positive, you should self-isolate to prevent spreading the virus to the unvaccinated, the old, and the chronically ill people.
Remember that the Omicron variant is highly contagious and even if you are fully vaccinated, you may still have a positive result when exposed to those who are infected. However, the difference is that those who are fully vaccinated and boosted without underlying health conditions will just have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all, while those who are unvaccinated are the ones who may have severe and even fatal symptoms.
The Biden administration launched on Tuesday, January 18, its website for Americans to request free at-home COVID-19 tests, a day before the site was scheduled to officially go online.
As PBS News reported: “The website, COVIDTests.gov, now includes a link for Americans to access an order form run by the U.S. Postal Service. People can order four at-home tests per residential address, to be delivered by the Postal Service.”
But according to the report: “Americans shouldn’t expect a rapid turnaround on the orders and they will have to plan ahead and request the tests well before they meet federal guidelines for when to use a test.
The White House said “tests will typically ship within 7- 12 days of ordering” through USPS, which reports shipping times of 1-3 days for its first-class package service in the continental United States.
Officials emphasized that the federal website is just one way for people to procure COVID-19 tests, and shortages of at-home test kits have shown signs of easing as more supply has hit the market.
Since Saturday [January 15] private insurance companies have been required to cover the cost of at-home rapid tests, allowing Americans to be reimbursed for tests they purchase at pharmacies and online retailers. That covers up to eight tests per month.”
FREE N95 masks
The CDC updated its face mask guidance on January 14, Friday, to emphasize the better protection offered by respirators like N95s and KN95s from COVID-19.
On Wednesday, January 19, the Associated Press (AP) reported that the Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to U.S. residents starting next week, now that federal officials are emphasizing their better protection against the omicron variant of COVID-19 over cloth face coverings.
The AP added:
“The White House announced Wednesday that the masks will come from the government’s Strategic National Stockpile, which has more than 750 million of the highly protective masks on hand. The masks will be available for pickup at pharmacies and community health centers across the country. They will begin shipping this week for distribution starting late next week, the White House said.
This will be the largest distribution of free masks by the federal government to the public since the COVID-19 pandemic began. In early 2020, then-President Donald Trump’s administration considered and then shelved plans to send masks to people at their homes. President Joe Biden embraced the initiative after facing mounting criticism this month over the inaccessibility — both in supply and cost — of N95 masks as the highly transmissible omicron variant swept across the country.”
SOLDIER ON! Save lives. It is the moral, patriotic and Christian thing to do.
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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.
