Some Pinoys abroad hesitant about having their kin vaccinated vs. COVID

Published February 26, 2021 04:05 PM By LUCKY MAE F. QUILAO

Some Filipinos in Bahrain would not recommend having members of their families back in the Philippines inoculated against COVID-19, despite having been themselves vaccinated due to work and travel requirements.

Late last year, Bahrain approved the emergency use of Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech

, and AstraZeneca, giving at least one dose of anti-coronavirus  vaccine to more than 10 percent of the people in the Gulf country.

“My parents are senior citizens already and it's really very hard to take a risk at their current age. They just do the necessary health measures needed and not much exposure outside,” shared Cecile Ferre Castillo, a 45-year-old administrative staff at the King Hamad University Hospital who has been vaccinated with Sinopharm.

 

She had preferred the vaccine produced in China as per the advice of her doctor.

“At first, I am hesitant to take it as I am under medication. But this January, the administration staff was encouraged to take it since we are in the health and medical industry,” Castillo explained during an interview via Messenger on February 16.

“With Sinopharm, I completed my two doses already and there is no side effect to me such as fever and body pain. Still it depends on the immune system of a person how the medicine will react.”

 

A 31-year-old receptionist in one of the supermarkets in Bahrain would also not advise anyone close to her in the Philippines to be vaccinated against COVID-19 even though she herself has been inoculated.

“Medyo sumama nga yung pakiramdam ko sa first shot tapos sumakit buong katawan ko the next day,” admitted Lyvonne Mercado in an interview via Messenger on February 23.

 

“[Kaya] as of now, to be honest, ayoko muna. Kaya lang din naman ako nagpa-vaccine dito kasi required ang vaccination sa pag-travel.”  —LBG, GMA News

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