Note: I was vaccinated in Davao City; other LGUs might have a vaccination process that is slightly different.
Just yesterday, August 9, I had my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine facilitated by the government through the Department of Health. They gave me Sinovac.
In this post, I am sharing my vaccination experience – how it was like to go through the whole process. I hope this can give insights that you might find helpful if you too plan to get vaccinated.
The vaccination process, in general, took me approximately four hours to complete – from queueing at the gate of the venue up to the actual vaccination. Like the rest of the vaccinees, I had to go through several steps to get it done.
Step 1: SafeDavaoQR
Davao City implements an online system for vaccination appointments. I chose this method because I thought it was the easiest way. Scheduling through this online system was easy, indeed. I just pre-registered by filling out the form with the correct information (I belong to the A4 group – economic front-liners). Pre-registration was needed to be able to choose a schedule. After selecting a date and time, I received a confirmation about my vaccination schedule. The confirmation message also indicated the brand of vaccine they would give me on that day.
Step 2: Validation at the entrance
Because I made my appointment online, they just asked me to show the text confirmation to let me in (avoiding the long queue). Once inside, of course, as expected, I had to fall in line.
Step 3: Receiving the vaccination documentary requirements – informed consent, vaccination form, etc.
Since I belong to the private sector, I had to provide a Certificate of Employment as proof. I also needed to show the appointment text confirmation. After checking those requirements, they gave me some documents about the vaccination program, including the informed consent and the form I had to fill out with personal information.
Step 4: Validation/encoding of information
After filling out the form, I submitted it to the validation section; they needed to check my document to ensure it was correct. After that, I received my vaccination card and proceeded to the next step.
Step 5: Orientation about the vaccination
During this step, they gave me more detailed information about the vaccination and the possible associated risks. It was like reviewing the informed consent document they handed me. They wanted to ensure my qualification. It was the quickest step.
Step 6: Physical check-up
At this stage, they checked my blood pressure to ensure that I indeed qualified to receive the jab. After that, I had to sit down with another medical worker to go through the checklist; I needed to pass all the items. After ensuring my blood pressure was okay – that I was medically qualified – they instructed me to proceed to the vaccination site.
Step 7: The actual vaccination
This step was also quick. I just had to sit down with the medical staff who would do the vaccination. It was just about a minute or so.
Step 8: Post-vaccination
During this step, they had to examine my blood pressure again to ensure that I was okay. I stayed there for about ten minutes for them to observe. They gave me food after that. The vaccination – done.
I just then searched for a place to enjoy my lunch and went home after that.
Again, the whole process took me about four hours.
So, that’s it. I look forward to new travel and adventure once I am done with the second dose, which will be given after a month from the first dose. They will notify me through text.
P.S. For those who want to get vaccinated, please bring the following:
- Photocopy of any proof of employment (Priority A1 and A4 only)
- Photocopy of Proof of Comorbidity (Priority A3 only)
- Any valid ID
- Own pen
- Safe DQR ID