The Vaccine Chronicles

Pope Francis has said that we should be vaccinated against COVID-19. “It is the moral choice because it is about your life but also the lives of others.”

Our guest speaker, Dr. Benjamin Co, echoed the Pope’s sentiments when he said, after a very informative evidence-based presentation about the various vaccines that have been produced to date, that we all had the obligation to get the vaccine. He expressed no preference for any one vaccine among the ones that are slated to come to the Philippines within the next few months: Pfize-BioNTech, Moderna, OxfordAstra Zeneca, Sinovac and even Sputnik from Russia. Whichever is available when he is scheduled to be vaccinated, he would take, citing the comprehensive empirical data behind each one and the protection they would provide.

The noted pediatrician and infectious diseases specialist is familiar with the process of approving drugs and vaccines for general use; previously, he was a director at the Center for Drug Regulation and Research of the Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health.

He reminded attendees to listen to science and the medical professionals: the vaccine will almost certainly reduce rates of COVID transmission, provided a sizable percentage of the population is vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity (ideally 70 percent). However, while rare, you could still get COVID-19 even if you’ve been vaccinated, but you are unlikely to become seriously ill and hospitalized, or die. That alone is reason enough to get the vaccine.

Presented in partnership with:

To watch the full webinar, visit our YouTube channel

Dr. Benjamin Co