Since I wrote "Will Expats In The Philippines Get a Shot at Vaccination?" , quite a lot has taken place personally in relation to the topic. First, my wife Lydia and I were both infected by COVID in early April, As seniors we are fortunate that it was only a mild case, and we were able to self-isolate at home which is a condominium unit. The building security was very supportive in seeing to it that we got the supplies that we needed and in otherwise assisting us during our quarantine.
Then a few weeks ago we were finally vaccinated. My worries that this might not happen due to my being a non-citizen turned out to be baseless.(This matter was never an issue for Lydia as she's a dual citizen).
Here's how it happened. In Quezon City where I reside, one sure way for inclusion in the vaccination program is to register for the Quezon City Identification Card ("Q-Citizen") At first I tried doing this online but couldn't complete that application due to technical problems. Fortunately, thanks to our barangay, we were able to do so manually. The form does inquire about the applicant's nationality but includes a field for non-Filipinos to just list their country of origin. In other words, being a foreigner does not disqualify one from Q-Citizenship and the "perks" that come with it, including the COVID vaccination. And there must be a similar accessibility for non-citizens in other local government units as well. For example a friend of mine who's also a permanent resident and living in Parañaquae was also vaccinated and several weeks at that before I was inoculated.
On the evening of May 14, Lydia and I received texts inviting us to get vaccinated the next day at the nearby venue that our barangay had set up for this purpose. The paperwork processing at the site was disorderly, but once we got to the area where the shots were being administered things went quite smoothly. As for reaction to the vaccine, which for us was AstraZenica, the only discomfort that we experienced was a sore arm.
In addition to the protection given by the jab itself, even though it was just the first one , it also gave us a psychological boost in that we now feel reasonably safe from recurrence of the disease. Our second dose is set for August. And we look forward to getting it. We likewise hope that all citizens and non-citizens alike here who are eligible for vaccination will avail of it, That will be a huge step towards in getting the Philippines back on track towards recovery from the social and economic devastation that the pandemic has wrought across the country.
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