‘Public health moves at the speed of trust,” according to health communications experts. As more people stir the embers of vaccine mistrust on social media, concerns about vaccine safety will cloud government’s efforts to inoculate majority of Filipinos. Somewhere between 60 and 90 percent of citizens must be vaccinated to arrive at the safe harbor known as herd immunity, where the entire population gets protected.
A recent Pulse Asia survey found that almost half of Filipinos (47 percent) are not inclined to get a Covid-19 vaccine due to safety concerns. Only 32 percent showed a willingness to receive the vaccine, while 21 percent are still undecided. In terms of location, 55 percent of the respondents in the Visayas showed disinterest in the Covid-19 vaccine; 48 percent were from Mindanao; 46 percent from Balance Luzon; and 41 percent from the National Capital Region. Based on socioeconomic class, the percentage of Filipinos who said they do not want to be inoculated was 56 percent in Class E, 46 percent in Class D, and 43 percent in Class ABC.
The biggest global vaccination campaign in history has begun. As of January 12, more than 29 million doses in 43 countries have been administered, according to data collected by Bloomberg. Delivering billions more will be one of the greatest logistical challenges ever undertaken.
Here’s a big hitch: A healthy 56-year-old doctor in South Florida died two weeks after getting a first dose of a Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. Health officials from Florida and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating what role, if any, the vaccine played in the death of Dr. Gregory Michael, a Miami-Beach obstetrician who, his family said, was in otherwise good health.
The doctor received his first dose of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine on December 18 at Mount Sinai Medical Center, according to a Facebook post from his wife, Heidi Neckelmann. Three days later, small spots began to appear on his feet and hands and he went to the emergency room at Mount Sinai, where he has worked in private practice for 15 years. His blood count was far below normal ranges, the wife said, adding that for two weeks, doctors tried to raise the patient’s platelet count. “Experts from all over the country were involved in his care,” she wrote. “No matter what they did, the platelets count refused to go up.” She wrote that her husband was “conscious and energetic” through the process. But just days before a last resort surgery was scheduled, he suffered a stroke and died.
Vaccinations in the US began on December 14 with health-care workers, and so far 9.27 million doses have been given, according to a state-by-state tally by Bloomberg and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Out of the 9.27 million doses administered, there’s one puzzling death that is spreading like wildfire on social media, igniting vaccine mistrust that could imperil the global fight against the virus.
In a statement, Pfizer said it was aware of the death, but that it didn’t think there was any direct connection to the vaccine. It said it was a “highly unusual” and severe case of a condition that can prevent blood from clotting and cause internal bleeding. “To date, millions of people have been vaccinated and we are closely monitoring all adverse events in individuals receiving our vaccine,” the statement said.
The world needs a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine, which is a critical component of the war against the pandemic. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stepped forward to assure Americans that the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine is safe.
As of January 6th, the CDC said about 21 people out of more than 9 million people vaccinated in the US have reported severe reactions to the vaccine, adding the risk for most people is low. “Don’t change your plan to get vaccinated based on this one report,” the CDC said.