Mom went to her doctor yesterday. Her last consult was perhaps 18 months ago. She insisted on going because she wanted clearance to receive the COVID vaccine. I rolled my eyes when she asked me to accompany her. Like I would send her out alone...
Going to see her physician worried me. Her clinic is in one of the tertiary government hospitals. Pre-pandemic it was always busy, people going in and out non-stop.
When we arrived, my worrying wasn't baseless. There was a long queue to enter the medical building. And people, while with face shields (on their heads for some) and masks, were lined up so close to each other! Helloooo... physical distancing, remember?
The guards in the area didn't seem to mind. Ugh! They will once you're two meters away from the main door. Then you have to stand 3 feet apart, and wait till the concierge checks out your form and gives you stickers to mark that you've gone through security checks, or whatever.
New normal in hospitals
Going up to the designated floor isn't so much a challenge. You're starting at the ground floor so everyone gets out there. Only four passengers to an elevator car. Yeah, it's quite an old building and the lifts are probably just four square meters in size, or less. Each passenger gets to stand in one corner.
Coming down is the problem. There are higher floors, and when you're in some middle floor, the car is already full when it opens in yours.
The guard offered a solution: when someone gets off our floor, get in and take a short joyride up so you're already in the car going down.
One car opened, one passenger got off. I told Mom to get in and take the ride. I was taking the stairs down. I got to the ground floor before she did.
In the clinic, there's a clear acrylic partition on the desk for both patient and doctor's protection. So everyone has to talk more loudly during the consult, and if you're waiting outside, you can't help but overhear them.
As usual, the doctor arrives an hour later. But she gave notice she was going to be late. And there were only three patients scheduled for the day.
We were number two. The first patient spent maybe 15 minutes inside.
Unlike in the past when a physician routinely checks the patient by auscultation (listening to the heart, lungs and other organs with a stethoscope), this time there was absolutely no close contact between doctor and patient.
It's new protocol, says the doctor. This way, there is minimal contact and the stet could be a source of viral transmission when you use one instrument for several patients.
Mom was asked routine questions that could be a factor for not being qualified to receive the vaccine. She was cleared.
The doctor noted Mom's blood pressure, which the medical secretary took earlier. It was quite high. I quickly pointed out that it's what digital sphygmomanometers read. Very unreliable, I added, to which she agreed.
When we take her blood pressure at home using an aneroid sphygmomanometer, her diastolic and systolic numbers were usually normal - 120 over 80. If it was high, she never went past 130. So, the 135 over 90 that registered in the digital instrument was way over.
Then the cardiologist shared an anecdote when she received the COVID vaccine.
She's never been hypertensive, but her BP shot up to 170 over 90 during the prep stage before inoculation. And it was the same for many of her colleagues, who had no history of hypertension.
Ahhh, psychological...
Yup, she agreed. As medical frontliners, they were the first to receive the vaccine. And they had no choice in the matter since they needed to be vaccinated. So, even knowing it was to protect them, they still felt anxious and this caused raised blood pressures.
Once administered, their BPs went back to normal levels. Really, it's a mind game this vaccine thingy.
So my thinking is if you decide to get inoculated, be a hundred percent certain that you're all in. Settle any doubts, especially the big ones, and psyche yourself that it's all going to be good, and it's for your protection.
This way, you minimize anxiety on the day of the jab and hopefully, your BP doesn't shoot up to the sky.
I'm still wondering if people getting vaccinated truly believe it will effectively protect them or if they're just doing it because their neighbors and friends are.
Why do I think this? Because many are just going for the first dose and not coming in for the second! Like how is that going to protect them when it only kicks in after the second dose?
It's all these incentives and swapping of stories among the elderly, who think getting the first jab is license to go gallivanting like they did pre-pandemic and there's no need for basic health protocols.
Besides, logistics remain a problem here in my country. They want to vaccinate x number of people to achieve herd immunity but...
They don't have enough vaccines.
Not all local government units have put systems in place to facilitate quicker vaccination procedures.
Frankly, it does nothing to boost my confidence in both the vaccine and government's handling of the pandemic.
So, no, I'm not in a hurry to get jabbed. And until I'm fully confident, I will continue to do my share of wearing my face shield and mask when I need to go out, maintain proper physical distancing, and wash hands as much as I can, and avoid crowded places as much as possible.
To lick this problem - end the pandemic and return to normal - both the people and government have to work together, conscientiously and do everything practicable and possible to fight the virus and disease.
Images: Unsplash
About the psychologically prepared before the vaccination, we should also have enough sleep and properly nourished and hydrated. I also am surprised when I learned that some people did not go back for the second shot. Has it not been explained to them properly that it is a must for them to go back? I think we are used to the previous vaccines that it only takes one jab. Your concerns are real and it is also mine. There are those who had their first vaccine wanting to come to our city because we are open for tourists if you are vaccinated without the need for test. I really think every one should still be tested regardless if they were vaccinated or not.