Nine in 10 Filipinos believe that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is part of their “collective responsibility” not only to protect themselves but society in general, a recent study conducted by PhilCare showed.
The 2021 PhilCare Wellness Index: The Philippine Roadmap to the Next Normal found at least three in 10 respondents (34.7 percent) who have not been inoculated yet intend to get the jab once vaccines are made available to them.
“With local governments setting up more and more convenient and accessible vaccination sites and credible vaccine information being made more available, we expect the number of Filipinos getting COVID-19 shots to grow this 2022,” said PhilCare President and CEO Jaeger Tanco.
To date, some 61 million of the 77 million target population in the country are already fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, while some 9 million booster doses have been administered so far.
The World Health Organization (WHO) considers vaccination the most effective way to prevent deaths and to stop the spread of COVID-19.
However, apart from making vaccines more available, the Wellness Index underscored the need for the government to address the spread of misinformation on vaccines caused by conspiracy theories and propaganda, with eight percent of respondents saying they refuse to get vaccinated.
“While this behavior by some Filipinos is concerning, we believe that it will eventually change as encouraging news and reports on vaccine efficacy from credible sources continuously make the headlines,” Tanco said.
“We need to work together to help those who hesitate to understand that vaccines are the best way for them and society to move forward in the new normal. That is also part of our collective responsibility,” he added.