As I am writing this article on Holy Wednesday, April 13, my left arm is hurting a bit.
Reason? I just had my booster shot against Covid-19 this morning.
I decided to take advantage of the two-day Holy Week break to get the shot just in case any side effect developed that could hamper my workload.
It wasn't hard to get booster shots these days. The vaccination venue was nearly empty, and it took only 15 to 20 minutes for me to receive my shot compared to the more than two hours last year, when I had my first two doses.
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The real concern now, according to medical experts, is that Filipinos are becoming complacent – and hesitant – in getting their booster shots.
The fact that more places in the Philippines are under the “most relaxed” Alert Level 1 due to a sharp decline in Covid-19 cases may have convinced many that booster shots aren’t that necessary.
But, as the Department of Health and the World Health Organization warned, there are signs around the world that more variants of Covid-19 may have developed in the past months.
Also, there’s the concern that the campaign sorties for national and local candidates in the run-up to the May 9 elections — conducted without even the pretense of health protocols such as physical distancing — could cause a surge immediately after the polls.
A Covid-19 surge immediately after the elections will be a headache for whoever will succeed President Rodrigo Duterte — and possibly derail chances of complete economic recovery.
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I am not surprised that there are some efforts by social media groups allied with Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to launch a dirty online war, stooping low to propagate “malicious” content aimed at ruining the reputation of the daughters of Vice President Leni Robredo.
I’ve noticed that many of Marcos, Jr.’s supporters are clear, blatant misogynists, who treat sex scandals like the flavor of the month, are prone to sexist comments and have no compunction in calling others to harass women supporting the other camp.
Many of his supporters also have the belief that women are not capable of leading the country — they even believe that former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was under the thumb of her husband during her nine years in office, and are all right with Sara Duterte as vice president for the same reasoning they use to put down Leni: she’ll just be a “spare tire” with no real power at all.
And the fact that the Marcos (Jr.) camp doesn’t seem to discipline their social media groups could only mean that they have been given a virtual license to use all kinds of black propaganda — bordering on “deep fakes” and malicious content — to ensure his victory in the polls.