A senior leader of the House of Representatives on Thursday urged the national government to enlist social workers, including those working at the Department of Social Welfare and Development, for the successful implementation of the national vaccination program against the dreaded coronavirus 2019.
“(Social workers) know their communities and can convince them to participate in the COVID-19 vaccination process,” said Quezon City Fifth District Rep. Alfred Vargas, who is also chairman of the House Committee on Social Services.
Vargas stressed that social workers could play a crucial role in the success of the government’s vaccination program.
“Across the nation, the DSWD alone deploys more than 10,000 social workers. They can help the Department of Health and Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. communicate the value and acceptance of vaccination against the coronavirus at the grass roots level,” the lawmaker said.
He noted that vaccine confidence is currently at its lowest in the Philippines after the undue Dengvaxia hysteria in 2017.
Vargas cited the observation made by Dr. Lulu Bravo, executive director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, who expressed concern that Filipinos may not be ready yet for COVID-19 vaccination as the public is hesitant, thus the need for intervention from the social workers to convince them to accept the COVID-19 vaccines.
Data from OCTA Research, which conducted a recent survey, showed that in Metro Manila, a COVID-19 hot spot, only 25% are willing to be vaccinated, 28% would not want to be vaccinated at all, and 47% remain undecided.
Recent reports on the low efficacy of the China-made Sinovac/CoronaVac vaccine also contributed to the public’s hesitancy.
“Let us harness the full potential of the social workers because they are highly credible individuals respected and accepted by their communities,” Vargas pointed out.
The Quezon City congressman also vowed to call for a meeting with the DSWD, non-government organizations, the Philippine Association of Social Workers (PASWI) to discuss how these groups can help implement the government’s national vaccination program against COVID-19.
Vargas also called on Galvez to declare social workers nationwide as essential frontliners in the fight against COVID-19.
He also called on Secretary Martin Andanar of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, the government agency that controls PTV4, to come out with an extensive information campaign that will help Filipinos accept the benefits of vaccination.
As for his district in Quezon City, Vargas said he is working closely with local officials to improve vaccine acceptance and implement neighborhood information programs that will help the national government in its seamless rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination.
“We need to convince our people that being vaccinated is the best action to regain a sense of normalcy. This is our best path to recovery,” he emphasized.