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Sunday, September 26, 2021

Zamboangueños want Covid-19 vaccines

LOCAL RESIDENTS are now more receptive to the government’s mass vaccination program and are willing to take anti-Covid-19 vaccines as the country continues to grip with the increasing number of infections.

In a latest public survey by the Office of the City Planning and Development Coordinator through its Research, Evaluation, and Statistics Division, almost all of the 917 respondents believed in the efficacy of the vaccines with 44% of them saying they had been inoculated.

The survey also showed that 23% expressed willingness to get vaccinated, but only for specific brands. And only 8% said that they did not want to get vaccinated for various reasons.

Of all the vaccine brands, Pfizer remains to be the most preferred with 46%, followed by AstraZeneca at 18%, Sinovac at 14% and Moderna at 9%. The survey further showed that one in every 4 adults, or 26%, is very worried about the side effects of vaccines, while 47% are slightly worried, and 27% are not worried at all. 

Many Zamboangueños have previously rejected or did not want to be inoculated due to Covid-19 vaccine disinformation and fake news being peddled on social and mainstream media. But the massive education campaign launched by the Climaco administration has largely addressed the Covid-19 vaccine disinformation.

City Health Officer Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite emphasized that all vaccines work. “Again, all vaccines work. Cualquier tipo de vacuna nos protege una vez vacunados,” she said, noting that less than 1% of nearly 300,000  who received their Covid-19 vaccines experienced adverse effects. 

The national government and the Department of Health continue to encourage the public to get inoculated against the deadly respiratory disease, but the supplies of Covid-19 vaccines are lacking.

Across Mindanao, residents are flocking vaccination sites, but many of those who registered with health centers or through the Internet have not received any schedule for their inoculation.

Some have waited for months, but until now did not get any reply from the government. And others had claimed unequal distribution of the vaccines or favoritism, nepotism and undue influence and even bribery in the mass vaccination program.

The Philippines has over 110 million population and is lagging behind some Southeast Asian countries in vaccine procurement. The country only vaccinated 17% of its targeted populations.

According to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, with vaccines being approved for use in different parts of the globe, the scale and complexity of their manufacture, allocation and distribution globally will be unprecedented.

It said this will also present corruption risks that may threaten vital public health goals. These risks include the entry of substandard and falsified vaccines into markets, theft of vaccines within the distribution systems, leakages in emergency funding designated for the development and distribution of vaccines, nepotism, favouritism, and corrupted procurement systems.

“These corruption risks must be identified and mitigated by public institutions to help advance access to safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines by the population, including the most vulnerable and marginalized groups,” it said. (Zamboanga Post, Mindanao Examiner, Jasmine Mohammadsali)

 

 



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