It’s cute and informative
While the entire Philippines is scared of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many Filipinos are still not onboard about getting inoculated. This "vaccine hesitancy" even urged President Duterte to threaten unwilling Pinoys saying, "If you don't want to get vaccinated, I'll have you arrested and I'll inject the vaccine in your butt."
A survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) done from April to May 2021 shows that only 32 percent of adult Filipinos are willing to be vaccinated. With fear of side effects as their top reason, 33 percent of the respondents are unwilling to get vaccinated, leaving 35 percent as uncertain if they'll take the shots.
As of today, vaccination remains voluntary, according to the Philippine Department of Health (DOH). But the government highly encourages the public to get their doses to be protected.
So, how does a vaccine work? To help give people a clearer picture on the importance of taking their shots, Facebook user Javier OE shares an animated clip presenting a cute cat having his vaccine dose. It shows how the vaccine becomes a wake up call to the body's immune system so it can act when the virus enters the system.
"Vaccines mimic the virus or bacteria that causes disease and triggers the body's creation of antibodies," the DOH says. "These antibodies will provide protection once a person is infected with the actual disease-causing virus or bacteria."
As for the side effects, vaccines can cause "pain, redness, itchiness, or swelling at the injected site." It can also induce "fever, feeling of weakness or fatigue, headache, dizziness, diarrhea, or nausea." The DOH also states that the benefits from the vaccines are far greater than the risks and that "severe or life-threatening reactions are extremely rare."
Know more about the Philippines' vaccination, its side effects, how it works, and vaccine distribution here.