Quezon taps peoples’ groups in COVID-19 vaccination drive

LUCENA CITY –– The provincial government of Quezon has tapped the help of people’s organizations to address the widespread public skepticism on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination program.

Janet Geneblazo, Quezon public information officer, said Gov. Danilo Suarez and the Integrated Provincial Health Office have initiated the orientation program of “community mobilizers” in different localities for the COVID-19 vaccination of eligible residents of the province.

The program has tapped the members of Provincial Union of Leaders against Illegality (Puli), “Luntiang Katipunero,” and health workers involved in the province-wide “Quezon’s First 1,000 Days” program for pregnant women as the initial batch of “community mobilizers.”

Puli, whose members came from the ranks of civilian volunteers, barangay officials, and village watchmen, are active partners of the police in crime prevention and suppression of illegal activities in the municipalities.

“Luntiang Katipunero” is composed of more than 2,000 volunteer fishers and farmers, who serve as protectors of mangroves in the province’s coastal areas.

Once they complete the orientation by health authorities, they will be sent to their communities to gather information on who wants to be vaccinated, their vaccine preference, and the reasons for agreeing to or refusing to be vaccinated.

The volunteers will also help educate the people on the importance of COVID-19 vaccines to end skepticism on the vaccination program.

The common public fear involves the vaccine’s side effects and even deaths circulating on social media.

Suarez said the deployment of “community mobilizers” aims to raise the citizens’ trust and confidence on the vaccination process and give them hope that the pandemic would end after the immunization.

“The people should understand the ordeal of a COVID-19 patient. They are pitiful. No members of their families can visit them in the hospital,” Suarez said in an earlier interview.

“We have to make the vaccination process attractive to the people, he added, especially the vaccination site. It should be near the target population.”

Almost all municipalities in Quezon have also been conducting vaccination rollout simulations to prepare for the inoculation activities.

The provincial government has allocated P1 billion for the vaccination of at least 1.8 million residents.

The 2015 Philippine Statistics Authority census shows that Quezon has a population of 2,122,830. According to the PSA projection, the province has already reached 2,334,200 population last year.

The governor did not mention the vaccine brands that the provincial government intends to buy.

“As long as the vaccine is the best in the market, the price does not matter. What is important is the efficacy and safety of the vaccine as attested by the experts,” he stressed.

LZB