Palace: Declining vaccine hesitancy reflects cooperation in proper info drive

MANILA, Philippines — The continuous decrease in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Filipinos can be attributed to a cooperation between the government and other stakeholders participating in the information drive about the vials’ safety, Malacañang said on Friday.

According to acting Presidential spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Carlo Nograles, the Palace was encouraged by the recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey which found that only eight percent of the respondents expressed skepticism towards the vaccines, compared to 18 percent in September 2021.

Nograles said that the survey should serve as a signal for people hesitating about COVID-19 vaccines to get vaccinated for their own good and their community’s safety.

“Senyales ito ng matagumpay nating pagtutulungan, tayong lahat—kayo na nasa media na nagbibigay ng tamang impormasyon, and then of course government making sure na nandyan yung supplies sa lahat ng regions at ginagawa po natin ang lahat ng hakbang para maging accessible po ang bakuna sa lahat ng areas dito sa ating bansa, and of course, ang taong bayan,” Nograles said.

“Malinaw po na habang dumadami po ang nagpapabakuna at nakikita ng ating mga kababayan na mabisa at ligtas ang mga ito, anuman brand ito, bumababa po ang tinatawag na vaccine hesitancy,” he added.

In the survey released on Thursday and conducted last December 12 to 16, 2021, SWS also found out that only six percent have admitted being uncertain about getting vaccinated, compared to the 19 percent in September 21; 24 percent in June 2021; and 35 percent in May 2021.

Also, the number of people who got vaccinated increased from SWS’ past surveys.

Nograles also shared that as of Thursday, 56.8 million individuals have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 while 65 million received at least a first dose.  This means that a total of 122,321,531 vaccine doses have been administered nationwide, including the 5.87 million booster doses given.

Still, the acting spokesperson admitted that many are still hesitant about getting vaccinated, saying that some people have fallen for false information over vaccination exemption cards which unvaccinated individuals can supposedly use to be exempted from stay-at-home restrictions.

Instead, Nograles said that these people should get vaccinated, as the immunization program has been proven safe and effective.

“Hindi po totoo. Wala pong ganun. No document like this is being issued by government. Kung may mga taong mag-aalok sa inyo ng ganitong card, agad makipag-ugnayan sa mga otoridad sa inyong lugar at isuplong ang ganitong gawain,” Nograles said.

“Ito ang alok sa inyo ng inyong pamahalaan: libreng bakuna kontra COVID-19. Dito ka na sa totoo. Dito ka na sa ligtas, epektibo, at libreng bakuna—anuman ang brand ng mga ito,” he added.

Vaccinations are seen as an important tool in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with the Omicron variant spurring a quick transmission of the disease.  Recently, the country saw a sharp uptick in cases, from just 56,561 active cases last January 6 to a record-high 291,618 on Wednesday.

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