More than 3 million people have already died since the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic more than a year ago. In many countries, this virulent disease continues to infect more and more people. While Filipinos are afraid to contract the virus, majority of them remain hesitant to be inoculated due to safety concerns.
A new survey conducted by Pulse Asia from February 22 to March 23 revealed that 94 percent of adult respondents are worried about getting Covid-19 vaccines, and only 16 percent are willing to receive a dose or two.
The benefits of immunization outweigh the fears about unwanted side effects and potential adverse reactions. Getting the Covid jab is strongly recommended to patients who are immunocompromised or have chronic medical conditions such as hypertension, cancer, diabetes, kidney or heart disorders.
Age-wise, vaccination is highly recommended to the elderly since they usually have preconditions and weaker immune system than the younger ones, thus, making them more susceptible to get sick of Covid-19 and at risk to suffer severe infection.
The Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) supports the global and national vaccination efforts, particularly in prioritizing the different groups that are at risk of getting the infection. These include the (A1) frontline health workers, (A2) senior citizens, (A3) persons with comorbidities, (A4) frontline personnel in essential sectors including uniformed personnel, (A5) indigent population.
Other beneficiaries identified in the Covid-19 Vaccination Program’s prioritization framework are (B1) teachers and social workers; (B2) other government workers; (B3) other essential workers; (B4) socio-demographic groups at significantly higher risk other than senior citizens and poor population; (B5) overseas Filipino workers; other remaining work force; and (C) the rest of the population not otherwise included in the said groups.
“As of now, there are vaccination programs being rolled out by national and local government units where registration is the only requirement for those who are interested to get the jab. However, we still have to address misinformation about the vaccine,” the PCP said.
On March 1, the government started administering Covid-19 jabs to frontline health workers. Other priority groups followed, such as those with comorbidities, senior citizens, and frontline workers in essential sectors.
The Philippines has so far received and used the Covid-19 vaccines developed by British-Swede drugmaker AstraZeneca and Sinovac from China.
The Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to Pfizer-BioNTech and Sputnik V.
Among the countries developing vaccines, however, the Pulse Asia study showed a huge distrust towards China, with 63 percent of the participants saying they do not trust Chinese-made jabs, while 44 percent indicated their confidence on vaccines developed in the United States.
The PCP emphasized that Covid-19 vaccines that are given EUA by the local FDA are considered safe and effective, based on the available evidence to date.
“The vaccines that are being administered today in the Philippines are the same efficacious brands used by other countries as well,” the PCP said.
While the Philippines is not lagging behind in terms of vaccination—being ranked No. 4 in Southeast Asia, 14th out of 47 countries in Asia, and 42nd out of 190 countries currently vaccinating worldwide—the PCP is encouraging the public to get immunized so we can attain herd immunity.
“Vaccination is an important way to protect yourself from getting severe Covid-19,” the PCP said. “Getting yourself vaccinated will also protect people around you, particularly family members with high risk for severe illness from Covid-19.”