Barbie Forteza (left) and Jak Roberto
Because COVID-19 will likely be part of our lives for the foreseeable future, it’s important, Barbie Forteza said, to get ourselves vaccinated when we get the chance.
“I felt sad that we had to go back to enhanced community quarantine, because I thought things were starting to move forward. I feel like the coronavirus will just be there, so one of the solutions is to have everyone vaccinated. We should do our part, so we [can] continue working and the industries can stay open,” Barbie said in a virtual conference for the GMA 7 fantasy anthology “Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko.”
“We can’t just keep on stopping everything whenever there’s a surge in cases,” the 24-year-old actress added.
Barbie also urged those who are having second thoughts about the vaccine to do more research about its importance.
“I can’t force them if they don’t want to. But based on the news coming out and announcements coming from hospitals, most of those who get hospitalized or develop severe COVID symptoms are unvaccinated. It’s up to you; we have free will,” she said. “But if you have the time, go research so we can better understand the importance of vaccination.”
That’s why despite the nonstop monsoon rains and flooding on the day of her second dose last month, Barbie—together with her boyfriend, Jak Roberto—still insisted on going to her assigned vaccination site at Universidad de Manila.
Going for the jab
“There was news that some of the streets leading there were already impassable because of the heavy rains and floods, so we were contemplating if we should push on. But we really wanted to get our second dose because it’s hard to secure another schedule. And the supply is also an issue. So we decided to go for it,” she said.
The couple arrived at the venue at dawn. But before they could even breathe a sigh of relief, an earthquake struck. “Thankfully, we managed to get there safely. But after just a few minutes—I wasn’t sure if it was just me feeling sleepy—but I felt like I was swaying inside the car. But then we looked outside and saw people panicking but they couldn’t go out of the site because it was raining,” she recalled.
All worth it
“There was even an aftershock after five minutes, after the initial earthquake. It was as if the universe was telling us not to push through,” added Barbie, who waited in line with Jak from 4:30 to 7 a.m. “‘Ah, hindi! Magpapabakuna kami!’ I told myself.”
And she was glad they did. “Everything went smoothly at the vaccination site. The queue was orderly and no one caused any issues. I felt that it was all worth it after getting our second shot,” Barbie said. “We headed to work afterward and we felt that weight has been lifted off our shoulders. Now we know we have another layer of protection.”