After a whole month of switching between a Yes or a No, I think I will finally say Yes today.
This one is harder than any survey, or any examinations I had on my college days. I am trying to brush it off my mind as much as possible, but I know I am hella nervous and battling with a bunch of anxiety inside.
What I am talking about is the act of being vaccinated, free of charge as per the local government where the company I work at is located. Meaning, even I am from a different municipality, I get to be vaccinated from this municipality, because I work for the company that resides here.
Dude, I even have no idea of what the vaccine would be. Astra Zeneca? Covovax? SinoVac? I apologize if I may have mispelled the words, my interest towards vaccine is really off the charts, I mean, zero, hehe. Just trying to sound not so rude. I have this belief that effective, and safe vaccines take a lot of years, and even decades to formulate. Yes, even decades, to prove its credibility, the certainty to be a prevention higger than the risk of adverse effects.
These vaccines that have emerged within two to three years to me, are just mind-boggling to even think about. News about people experiencing adverse side effects adds up to the anxiety that builds up. I even have heard of instances people died due to these specific vaccines, but I am not sure if they are real, or just made up conspiracy theories to make people like me become more indecisive as heck.
So, with all these said, why in the world did you say Yes, Elle? Truth is, I still not sure to some extent. This is actually the reason I am writing this. I just finally arrived to this decision, but I will attempt to present the valid reasons, to deflect these anxieties away.
I have opened up this one to my family. To tell you, we were all really against vaccination in the beginning. And when I say against, I mean really AGAINST. Just hearing the word vaccine makes us mad, and we did not want to even hear explanations.
But last night, Mom said I should pray. Whether I should say Yes or No, I should ask for God's answer. Truth be told, it is morning now, and I haven't had a sincere prayer yet, asking for His guidance. I am sorry for this. I am really saying Yes, and I will just ask for God's assistance to me on this. I hope I won't experience the scary side of being vaccinated, in Jesus' Name.
It would make a lot of things easier.
I had this thought that maybe if I had a vaccination certificate, it would be a lot more convenient to travel to even further places, because this document can serve as an automatic travel pass. I mean, what could be the reasons I would not be permitted to go in or out a particular town? I am vaccinated, duh. (Just tryna sound confident, even worried inside, LOL)
Our general manager has relatives from the US, and he shared to us how those people he knows can freely travel from USA to the Philippines without much trouble because they were all vaccinated already.
Whether we like it or not, I believe that this time will come, where vaccination proofs would be enough to be a valid permits to travel. Just a gut feeling, but who knows?
My fear of contracting the virus is now stronger than my fear of side effects.
Last time is was the opposite. I really WAS firm to the idea that I will just be extra careful like I have always been. I mean, with face masks, face shields, social distancing, and constant sanitation, I think I am good to go. No need to insert a foreign material to my body, that may even have some risks I can't figure out.
See the analogy? I used to think more of the regret I would have if I took the vaccination opportunity, instead of thinking about what I have missed if I said No.
Yes, right now, I have thought about the possibilities of ever I got the virus. Hmm, simple things. Affected health, no work for at least one month, constant anxiety of infecting my loved ones, hospital bills, fear for my life, a life that will not be the same as before. Yeah, a bug WTF to that. So many simple things. Note the sarcasm.
My parents, and even my siblings have underlying health conditions, or what we call, comorbidities, so I kinda wonder, what torment would we all undergo if one of us, even just one, would catch the virus? Just thinking of it worries me to the core. Love them so much. Glad they will not get to read this part. Because if they do, I will have to revise and delete this specific sentence. Peace.
I have seen them do it.
Well, not the actual act of my work colleagues being vaccinated in fron of my face. But almost all the people around me im the office have at least took a dose, and they are actually scheduled for the second dose already. I haven't seen those scary side effects I have heard and seen on the internet, so far.
And those are different people, to emphasize. Two of them are middle-aged, some three to four others, maybe, are of my age, and they say they just have this heavy kind of feeling on the arm where they have been vaccinated. The 'worst' I have noted so far, is from my boss, saying she felt weak for a day, and even had some mild fever, but nothing more on the next day. Just the vaccine doing its work, teaching the immune system to fight the virus. In a drama, we can tell it is having some sort of a rehearsal.
It may not be free nor easily accessible in the future.
This, too. A time may come where people will put their trust in vaccines, thus demand for it maybe high. I am not sure, as well, for how long vaccines will be offered free. The people I know are even willing to pay to get vaccinated as soon as possible, but the chance is now in front of me. This is maybe the sign I should have it.
Okay, I am really sorry if you just got more confused reading this. I am such an impulsive, and indecisive person, and even the final decisions I make are always coupled with maybes.
What I did is weigh the benefits and disadvantages of getting a vaccine, and it just happened that the benefits outnumbered the latter. However, I can not ignore the many times I had so many "What ifs" in my mind. Well, perks of being an over thinker. Duh.
This is not meant to encourage you to get vaccinated, just a disclaimer. Of course, everyone has a free will whether to undertake this decision or not. Don't let others pressure you, it is your life, okay? Okay.
Now, I wanna know what is your take in this. To the vaccines circulation throughout your communities, have you said yes, or no? Or still indecisive? Let's talk!
Thanks for being here. :)
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To God be all the glory.
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Congrats michelle! Go get that vaccine!