MANILA – A survey on the willingness of Filipinos to get vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) showed the public’s rising confidence in vaccines.
The survey was conducted from March 19 to March 30, according to Department of Health (DOH) undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
Some 75 percent responded in the affirmative when asked if they would be willing to be vaccinated, while nearly 86 percent believed COVID-19 jabs were “safe and efficacious.”
“Mataas na ‘yung kumpiyansa ng mga kababayan natin sa pagbabakuna compared to the initial which was just 65 percent,” Vergeire said in a virtual press conference on Friday.
In February, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said only three out of 10 Metro Manila residents were willing to receive COVID-19 vaccines due to fear of possible side effects.
By early May, some 500,000 Filipinos have completed their two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, while another two million have taken their first dose.
So far, the Philippines has been vaccinating between 67,000 and 83,000 people a day, and hopes to jab at least 100,000 people daily when the supply of COVID-19 vaccines normalizes.
DOH aims to inoculate at least 50 million people by the end of the year to achieve herd immunity against the deadly virus. The number is lower than the initial target of 70 million.
Among the vaccines being used were China’’s Sinovac, AstraZeneca’s and Pfizer’s. More brands are expected to arrive by June./PN
