In the race to inoculate the world’s population against COVID-19, the Rotary Club Passport One Marikina took a huge step on March 20 via a wide scale dissemination campaign that puts the spotlight on life-saving information about herd immunity and the benefits of being vaccinated.
Streamed live on the organization’s social media feed as well as its partners’ Resorts World Manila (RWM), So Jannelle Show, and Rotaract District 3800, then later on will be broadcasted on The Filipino Channel’s SO JANNELLE SHOW to also reach the Filipino communities in North America, the Rotary Club Passport One Marikina webinar tackled how achieving herd immunity in the country not only gives every Filipino strong protection from the COVID-19 virus, but how it will contribute to putting an end to the pandemic and how it can help improve the current state of the local and global economies as well, owing to the shuttering of various businesses and the furloughing of workers globally due to the pandemic.
According to one study, almost half of the population are still having reservations about being vaccinated due to concerns ranging from the efficacies of available vaccines to their potential adverse effects on immunocompromised individuals. Acknowledging the challenges in educating Filipinos at home and abroad of the benefits of herd immunity, the Rotary Club Passport One Marikina now aims to reach wider audiences as much as possible in aid of the government’s campaign to gain traction towards nationwide inoculation.
On March 19, Department of Health reported 7,103 new COVID-19 cases. It is the highest single-daily tally since the start of the pandemic. Currently, the government’s target to complete its nationwide vaccination rollout is in 2023, allotting wide margins for possible delays in deliveries to remote areas of the country. This is a far cry from other countries’ targets such as that of the U.S.A. which is pushing hard for a return to normalcy by July this year.
“It’s a herculean task but we know that the time for bayanihan is needed now more than ever to fast track our collective efforts,” stated the club’s Charter President Nora Abellar. “We are taking on a HERD approach for the campaign in that we should hear our countrymen’s concerns while also being heard; evangelize how each citizen has his or her own responsibility to the country and the world; resound our message of unity and empathy towards herd immunization; and drill down all available channels to reach wider audiences and disseminate essential information,” added Abellar.
Panelists for the webinar in talk show format included a DOCTOR, Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine Dr. Daisy Ilagan-Tagarda, MD, FPCP, FPSMID; an ADVOCATE: academician, investor and innovator Yobie Benjamin who is based in the US; and ECONOMIST, Alvin Joseph Arogo, Vice President and Division Head of the Philippine National Bank. The webinar was hosted by Filipino-American multi-awarded journalist and TV personality Janelle So.
Know more about the Rotary Club Passport One Marikina’s campaign on herd immunity by visiting their official Facebook page.
Broadcast journalist and host Jannelle So- Perkins with panelists Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine Dr. Daisy Ilagan-Tagarda, MD, FPCP, FPSMID; academician, investor and innovator Yobie Benjamin; and, Alvin Joseph Arogo, Vice President and Division Head of the Philippine National Bank.
