After Roperto “Perry” Lochim Barbadillo retired from working in a pineapple plantation 22 years ago, he farmed his family’s land on the southern Philippines island of Mindanao.
Surrounded by lush durian trees and banana palms in Barangay Sirib on the outskirts of Davao City, Mr Barbadillo, 72, lived with his wife Celedonia Sassil Barbadillo and near his children. His family helped him manage his diabetes, which he had lived
with for 25 years.
In May 2021, Mr Barbadillo’s health deteriorated, and he was admitted to the hospital for two weeks because of kidney problems. Even before he was hospitalised, his family encouraged him to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but he declined.
Mr Barbadillo’s age and health put him in the high priority groups A2 (senior citizens) and A3 (people with comorbidities) for the country’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout. The priority aims to protect people who face a high risk of severe illness
and death from COVID-19. In addition, anyone with comorbidities, including kidney problems, admitted to the hospital is further given the top priority to get vaccinated.
So once home, Mr Barbadillo’s family again urged him to be vaccinated against COVID-19 at a hub in Calinan district. But he did not want to get vaccinated. He said he was already sickly, and feared vaccination might make him worse, says his daughter,
Luz Dominayos.
The next few weeks brought tragedy and regret for Mr Barbadillo’s family.
“My father died on 10 June 2021 from COVID-19. We had to accept what had happened. But as his children, it wasn’t easy for us. We were all stricken with grief. His life was shortened because of COVID-19.”
“If only he were vaccinated earlier, maybe that wouldn’t be the case,” says Ms Dominayos.
She shared her story with the World Health Organization (WHO) in the hope of sparing other families the same grief.
WHO has been advocating prioritising senior citizens for COVID-19 vaccination as they are at high risk of severe disease and death. WHO has also encouraged national and local governments to support community-based vaccinations at the barangay level. These
need to include house-to-house vaccinations or close-to-home vaccination drives.
Bringing vaccines closer to the people can reduce vaccine hesitancy because that will save them from travelling long distances, paying for transportation, and missing a day’s worth of salary for waiting in long queues.
In this part of Davao City, intense efforts have been underway to increase vaccination uptake among older and other vulnerable people. Barangay Sirib officials partnered with the Institute of Primary Health Care (IPHC) of the Davao Medical School Foundation
(DMSF) and WHO to reach community members.
Working with indigenous upland rural communities in Barangays Tamayong and Sirib, DMSF conducted capacity building sessions for community health workers, and rolled out information, education and communication campaigns in local languages on COVID-19
prevention, control and vaccines.
With the support of local authorities, they improved infrastructure to help people follow public health and social measures like frequently washing their hands. DMSF also went house-to-house to inform unvaccinated senior citizens of the benefits of vaccination
and assisted them to reach the nearest vaccination site.
Efforts paid off. In Barangay Sirib alone, more than 6,000 of its residents or 94% of its population are vaccinated—around 600 are senior citizens.
Across the Philippines, as of 23 February 2022, almost 70% of the A2 priority group of senior citizens have been fully vaccinated. Efforts to vaccinate this priority group increased in early 2022, with more house-to-house vaccinations.
Acting WHO Philippines Country Representative Dr Rajendra Yadav says, “Safe and effective vaccines are an important tool, in combination with public health and social measures, to protect against COVID-19 and save lives. WHO is honoured to work
alongside development partners to engage with communities to protect their most vulnerable members. We can all help prevent the profound heartbreak that comes with every life lost.”
Although the campaign came too late for her father, Ms Dominayos continues to advocate for older people to be vaccinated and their families to support them.
“It’s our protection. Even if we do get infected, our body would be able to handle it. When everybody has been vaccinated, we don’t have to deal with the tragic loss of a family member from COVID-19.”