HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — After traveling more than 1,500 miles and completing a 14-day quarantine, Daniel Marshall finally rolled up his sleeve to get his Covid-19 vaccine Wednesday.
Marshall, a businessman and engineer, is among the American expatriates in the region who have already made their way to Guam for vaccination and vacation.
No visiting American citizens are denied the federally funded vaccines, and Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero has tasked her chief medical adviser, Dr. Michael Cruz, to develop an operations plan to vaccinate American expatriates coming to Guam.
Marshall, 66, said he’s grateful that Guam’s doors are open for American expatriates like him.
At his age and medical condition, he said it’s “very important” that he gets vaccinated against Covid-19.
But in the Philippines, where he’s been living for more than 11 years, there was no telling when he would have gotten vaccinated, he said.
“The rollout of their vaccine program is very limited now to just government personnel and front-line workers. I don’t expect the vaccine rollout for the general populace until late this year or early next year,” he told The Guam Daily Post, during his vaccination.
He said he’d been keeping an eye on Guam for months.
“Actually, the travel was the hardest part,” he said. “Getting in the quarantine was pretty good, the food was really good, the National Guard did a wonderful job. The shot was probably the easiest thing. So I’m very thankful for everyone that’s helped me on my journey, and I look forward to going home to my family.”
Marshall booked an appointment to get vaccinated at the University of Guam Calvo Field House, where the number of people coming in to get their shot has been steadily declining the past several days.
He chose to get the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, saying it’s been a trusted brand as far as he can remember.
Marshall said he will be staying on Guam until he can get a visa to return to his family in the Philippines.
A third-generation Navy veteran, he also plans on making an appointment with the Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Guam to get his medical testing done while he’s here.
There are a lot of expats in Asia who probably need to be vaccinated, he said, and Guam is a good place to get it done.
“It sure has very nice weather, warm temperature and nice beaches,” he said. “Looking forward to my time here and hopefully get some swimming in and see some of the nice places in Guam.”
‘Workable plan’ for Air V&V
Guam Visitors Bureau President and CEO Carl Gutierrez said as of Wednesday, there’s no update on the 1,500 doses that GVB requested from the governor for the bureau’s Air V&V (vaccination and vacation) program as well as the operations plan to vaccinate American expats coming to Guam.
“No update but we believe we came to a workable plan with Dr. Mike Cruz and Public Health,” he said. “Awaiting their approval.”
The former governor said there are more than 200,000 American expats in Japan, Korea and Taiwan, and more than 350,000 expats and dual citizens in the Philippines alone. But he said Guam’s Air V&V will include expatriates not just from the Asia-Pacific region but all over the world.
For Marshall, getting the vaccine is a personal choice for everyone. He said those who are thinking about it should do their research first and think about their health problems.
“To travel from border to border, you know we have to defeat this virus,” he said. “I’d just like to thank the National Guard and the government of Guam for giving me this opportunity.”
Community push
Some 60% of Guam’s population at least 16 years old have been fully vaccinated.
The governor hopes to achieve 80% herd immunity, with at least 100,000 Guam residents fully vaccinated, by July 21.
Capt. Denise Chargualaf, task force medical commander for Joint Task Force 671 with the Guam National Guard, on Wednesday said there has been less and less demand for the vaccine at the UOG clinic but she said there’s a push to get out more to the community.
On Tuesday, the National Guard held its first drive-thru Covid-19 vaccination clinic, at the old carnival grounds at Tiyan, where the Department of Public Health and Social Services also held drive-thru testing.
Chargualaf said of the 111 individuals vaccinated at the drive-thru clinic, 100 came for their first dose and 11 came for their second dose.
That’s a good sign, she said, that there are still people willing to get vaccinated.
Guam currently has ample supply of three Covid-19 vaccines: Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. Chargualaf said the National Guard is ready to serve an influx of adolescents age 12 to 15, along with their parents, once final federal approval is given for this age group to be vaccinated.
Daniel Marshall, who’s been living in the Philippines, gets his single-dose Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine from a member of the Guam National Guard at the University of Guam Calvo Field House vaccination clinic Wednesday.
Photo by Haidee Eugenio Gilbert/The Guam Daily Post
