Yesterday, I had the first dose of my COVID-19 vaccine, and it was fine. I am fine. I am not experiencing any untoward side effects, whatsoever... Only a little pain or weight in the area where the vaccine was injected.
Since I am from Quezon City, and I belong to the A4 category, I decided to take part in the free vaccine from the local government unit. What I did was to sign up and create an account in EZConsult, a third-party app that you can download in App Store or Play Store. I registered for a vaccination, however, there were no vaccination slots or sites during the time that I signed in.
Thankfully, one of my friends who already got vaccinated told me to follow Quezon City Government on Twitter and/0r Facebook for they are posting announcements when will the openings of vaccination slots. So, I followed her advice and got myself waiting for the announced time and date where A4 workers can sign up. Unfortunately, there was a vast amount of people who entered the app that the app was not able to control, thus, network traffic has occurred leading us to not be able to enter the app.
So, people were outraged because an announcement was made yet, no booking was done. I can't even enter the EZConsult via the app or via a web browser. But what can we do? We can only wait for the next announcement.
After a few days, I saw one of my colleagues posted that she was able to open the app and book a slot, she also mentioned that there were many slots available, so, it's better to book right away. So, that's what I did, and I was able to book a slot on June 16, 2021, at 4-5 pm, I chose this because my housemate has also booked hers at the same time.
VACCINE DAY
My housemate is going to her office daily for reporting, so, I have to go there and fetch her. Our schedule is at 4:00 pm, but it stated there that we need to be there at around 3:45 PM. And so we went at around 3:30 pm since her office is near the vaccination site. We rode a cab and entered the vaccination site premises.
When we entered, there was a line of people near the entrance. So, we asked if that line was for the vaccine, and they said that it was for checking the registration details. By the way, we went there with a printout of the email sent to us upon registration containing the QR code. So, we lined up, but a girl announced that there's another line with surnames that start from A-E. Unfortunately, mine starts with P, so I have to stay in a long line. My housemate's surname starts with D, so she went to the other line which was short as compared to mine.
Just my two cents: It would be best that upon entering the premises, a step-by-step guide is posted already, and markers are put in place for the checking of "registration", etc.
After a few minutes of waiting, it's my turn for them to check for my registration. They asked for a government-issued ID, and then checked my name from a list. They also gave me a consent form that I have to fill out before the actual vaccination.
After the initial step, we went to a waiting area where we filled out the consent form. Someone goes around and tells us what other information do we need to input in the form. After some moments of waiting, we proceeded to the adjacent area for the orientation. A doctor discussed what vaccination is about, the importance of it and the so-called herd immunity, and why were are in such an area that is not "totally" conducive to vaccination but is okay for mass vaccination. He also discusses the Health Declaration Screening for Sinovac, another form that we have to fill out.
If someone is having certain health conditions as stated in the form, he/she will be in consultation with the doctor on-site. The rest who do not have any of those health issues can now proceed to the actual vaccination as soon as the filled-out forms were checked by the doctor.
Note: Please bring your own pen. Also, the Health Declaration Screening Form's questions are somewhat confusing. For example,
"Has no allergy to food, egg, medicines, and no asthma?"
Choices are: Yes or No.
So, you have to tick Yes. B
But come to think of it, if this question is asked to you, and you are required to answer a Yes. So the follow-up statement would be: "Yes, I have no allergy to food, egg, medicines and no asthma." It's actually correct, but it could be improved. :)
So, I got VAXED!
I just waited for a few minutes for my turn to get vaccinated. When I went there, they asked for the form, and a staff (I'm not sure though if he is a doctor or a nurse) writes my name on my vaccination card. After that, I sat on a chair to get my jab of the vaccine. I asked if I could take a video, and she said I can as long as she's not included. And so, I did but I won't show it here though. I'm shy.
It's like any other injections, it was fast, I didn't feel much pain, maybe because I've already thought about it, and my mind was already prepared. After the vaccination, we were asked to wait and have our blood pressure checked. Those who do not have any severe side-effects/reactions are good to go. My blood pressure's normal, and so, I was able to take a photo with my vaccination card.
The schedule of my second dose is 28 days after the day of my first dose. I will be returning to the same vaccination site on July 16, there's no need for me to book an appointment as it was already indicated there. Also, you should never lose your vaccination card as this is a "certification" that you've already received the vaccine, and more importantly, if you've already gotten your first dose, please return to get your second dose.
Sinovac is not my preferred vaccine brand, but I still took the opportunity, as they say, the best vaccine brand is the one available.
So, please sign up through your LGUs and have yourself vaxed! Let's defeat COVID-19!
Thanks for reading!
Congrats!