Filipinos willing to get virus vaccines? Palace counts it down to ‘trust’ on gov’t vaccine plan
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang welcomed on Friday the result of a survey showing that six out of 10 Filipinos are willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, saying it reflects the public’s “trust” in the government’s vaccination program.
According to a Social Weather Station (SWS) survey conducted from Sept. 17 to 20, around 66% of surveyed adult Filipinos are willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine if it is available now while the other 31% are unwilling to get the vaccine.
“We view this as a positive development as this means that more Filipinos trust the current government’s vaccination program,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
“We, however, hope there will be a significant increase in the number of Filipinos willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine as President Rodrigo Roa Duterte wants all Filipinos to get vaccines, with priority given to the poor, indigents and other vulnerable sectors,” he added.
The Palace official announced Thursday that Duterte has agreed to make advance market commitments and advance payments to private COVID-19 developers to ensure supply for the Philippines.
The race to a COVID-19 vaccine is still on with over a hundred currently under development worldwide.
In the Philippines, China’s Sinovac Biotech is currently seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct Phase 3 of its trials in the country.
Sinovac is the first drugmaker to get past the Philippine vaccine expert panel’s initial evaluation. The panel is also evaluating the COVID-19 vaccines of Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen subsidiary for late-stage trials.
Meanwhile, talks with US drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna are also ongoing according to health authorities.
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