A couple spends the night sleeping on a mat on the street as they wait for the opening of a vaccination site in Caloocan City, Philippines. PHOTO: MARTIN SAN DIEGO
Waiting isn’t unique to the Philippines and not all sites have lines, but the country is also dealing with surging cases, vaccination rates that lag behind its neighbors, and limited supply.“We slept on the floor and leaned against the wall for hours. It’s hard but it’s okay as long as we get the vaccine that we deserve,” De Guzman said.Over the course of a long, hot night, people brought chairs, squatted on the street to rest, and dozed for a few hours before the site opened. They brought light meals to get them through the wait, and many were glued to their phones to pass the time.“We slept on the floor and leaned against the wall for hours. It’s hard but it’s okay as long as we get the vaccine that we deserve.”
Bella Caro, 30, lines up at a vaccination site in Metro Manila for her third attempt to get the jab while others lay down for a rest. PHOTO: MARTIN SAN DIEGO
Before her shot, De Guzman said that if she wasn’t offered Pfizer when her turn came, she would refuse and go home, despite waiting for hours. “If it’s not Pfizer, why should I get vaccinated?” she said, explaining that she can wait for a few more months when more vaccines are expected to be shipped into the country. “As a citizen, it is my right to choose what is safe for me. After all, I am one of those who would pay for it.”“If it’s not Pfizer, why should I get vaccinated?”
A line quickly forms as early as midnight outside a mall that doubles as a vaccination site in Metro Manila. PHOTO: MARTIN SAN DIEGO
People patiently wait to be let in to the vaccination site. PHOTO: MARTIN SAN DIEGO
People patiently wait to be let in to the vaccination site. PHOTO: MARTIN SAN DIEGO
Artemio and Ruthie Acibar say they were happy to receive their first shots of the Pfizer vaccine. PHOTO: MARTIN SAN DIEGO
Benz Mayorga (L) says he can get what is the available vaccine brand while urging the government to improve the system. PHOTO: MARTIN SAN DIEGO
People bring their own chair so they could queue comfortably. PHOTO: MARTIN SAN DIEGO
Chairs are provided in the mall parking lot that serves as a holding area. PHOTO: MARTIN SAN DIEGO
