Filipina weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz got her second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday night in Kuala, Lumpur Malaysia, a couple of weeks before heading to Tokyo for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Vaccination of Filipino athletes has become a cause of concern, especially those who are training abroad.
Some athletes have concerns about the possible side effects of the vaccine as they gear up for the games slated on July 23 until Aug. 8 in Tokyo.
For Diaz, who is making her fourth Olympic trip since making her debut in 2008 in Beijing, the protection the vaccine could bring outweighs the potential negative effect on her body.
“Natakot ako kasi ang dami kong nabasa news about AstraZeneca pero mas nakakatakot kung ma expose ako sa COVID-19, lalo na at maglalaro ako sa Olympics. Madami athletes na maglalaro sa iba’t ibang bansa galing, at alam niyo naman may Delta Variant na, kahit bata nai-infect din sa COVID,” said Diaz in her post on her official fan page.
“Mas okay na may konting protection kaysa walang protection laban sa COVID-19, mas okay na mag-risk sa vaccine huwag lang i-risk ang buhay,” she continued.
She said the only side effect she encountered was drowsiness.
“Pag-uwi ko galing KL, kumain at natulog agad. Antok masyado,” Diaz said.
Tokyo organizers have not made vaccination a mandatory requirement for athletes competing in the Summer Games that was reset from last year.
Diaz brought home a silver in the 53kg category in weightlifting at the Rio Olympics, becoming the Philippines’ first female medalist in the history of the games.
She will compete in the same category in Tokyo.
Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion revealed that gymnast Carlos Yulo will also get his full dose of vaccine next week in Japan.
Meanwhile, EJ Obiena has already deferred taking the COVID-19 vaccine because it may interfere with the program that had been put together by his team, leading to the Tokyo Olympics, according to his father-coach Emerson.
“We will just be extra careful,” said Emerson, who will join the younger Obiena in Tokyo.
Boxers Irish Magno, Nesthy Petecio, and Carlo Paalam have already received their jabs in Thailand, while Eumir Felix Marcial completed his vaccine in Las Vegas earlier this year. Rower Chris Nievarez was fully vaccinated with the program set by the Philippine Olympic Committee in partnership with the City of Manila.
The rest of the Olympians — weighlifter Elreen Ando, taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa, skateboarder Margie Didal, shooter Jayson Valdez, golfers Yuka Saso, Bianca Pagdanganan and Juvic Pagunsan, judoka Kiyomi Watanabe, sprinter Kristina Knott, and swimmers Luke Gebbie and Remedy Rule—have yet to report their vaccination to the POC secretariat.