Got my first jab of COVID Vax

 

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Just got my first dose of the COVID vaccine! I feel so blessed that I belong to an organization that makes sure all its employees get vaccinated early. Truly my work is a gift to me. And it was great that more and more Filipinos are being vaccinated every day. I thank our government for doing everything it can to secure vaccines from foreign countries despite many constraints and the political divide in the Philippines. 

I thank our local health workers who fight and keep on fighting and risking their lives to save the citizens of this country. I sincerely thank all the great scientists who worked hard to study this virus and create these medicines to protect the lives of billions of people on earth.

Imagine 2020, when the coronavirus outbreak has exploded. We were all shocked by this very tiny and unfamiliar virus that spreads too fast from one person to another and is very deadly. The anxiety of being locked down in a place for months, most businesses shut down, and people lost their jobs.  Food and disinfectants, even toilet papers were scarce. 

During strict lockdown in the Philippines, families rely on food assistance from the government because nobody was allowed to go out of the house. Most Filipinos struggle to feed their family, pay rent without a source of money and maintain social distance in overcrowded communities in the city. 

I could still recall how stressful the news was that I had to refrain from watching TV and using social media. Remember how devastated the world felt that millions of lives were taken by the virus. This will go down as a big part of our history. It was a tough fight for all of us. 

As all countries continue to vaccinate all their people, I am confident that this pandemic will end soon. We are going to see our families again, laugh with our friends, and travel for leisure again. I knew that very soon we can drink coffee at shops without a plastic divider in the middle of our tables that look like we were visiting someone in prison. We can eat out at restaurants without sitting one table away from each other. We can ride in jeepneys without the annoying plastic covers that are not actually helpful to protect commuters. We can clearly hear someone when they’re talking and see their beautiful faces. Since we don’t need to wear face masks and plastic shields anymore because they are garbage that pollutes our environment. 

Soon, we will interact again as humans are designed to be social. We will touch, hold and kiss our loved ones without fear. 

And when everything goes back to normal, I hope that we won’t forget the lessons we have learned. Let us appreciate life more than material things. Let us give time to what is more important. Let us take care of the one planet that we are living on.