The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) urged on Sunday, Feb, 14, Local Government Units (LGUs) to intensify the information drive to convince more Filipinos to be vaccinated against the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19).
This, as DILG Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya admitted that the biggest challenge for the LGUs’ COVID-19 inoculation drive is the low demand among their residents.
In an interview over GMA News, Malaya said the LGUs should step up its drive in convincing the concerned individuals to be inoculated attributing that the low demand for COVID-19 vaccination is due to the unverified negative information from social media.
“Tingin ko 'yung kailangang mensahe natin sa ating kababayan ay lahat ng bakuna na aaprubahan ng ating pamahalaan ay dumaan sa tamang proseso (I think we need to send a public message that all the (COVID-19) vaccines approved by the government underwent legal process), ” Malaya said.
Malaya noted the public should be informed that COVID-19 vaccine products undergo several panels of experts before getting approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure their safety and efficacy.
But, League of Municipalities (LMP) president and Narvacan, Ilocos Sur Mayor Chavit Singson insisted on Feb. 11 that Health Secretary Francisco Duque III should be the first to be inoculated before agrees to be vaccinated COVID-19 vaccine to ensure its safety and efficacy.
“Unahin natin si (Department of Health) Secretary (Francisco) Duque para magtiwala taong bayan. Bakit kami uunahin? Sila muna, sila ang mga doktor, sila mga leader. Hindi ako doktor. Siya muna para susunod kami lahat. Hindi kami muna. (Let Secretary Duque be injected first (with COVID-19 vaccine) to gain public trust. Why will be the ones vaccinated? They should be vaccinated first since they are the doctors. They are the leaders (COVID-19 vaccination process). I am not a doctor. He should be vaccinated first then we will follow. It should not (be vaccinated) us first),’’ Singson said.
Singson preferred the “wait and see’’ option stressing that he does not want himself nor his constituents to be the guinea pigs for the COVID-19 dose.
“Naghahanda mga ospital se narvacan pero mag observa muna kami e mamaya may side effect yan. Mauna muna yung mga dyan. Hindi pa nag order ng mga bakuna tignan muna namin kung anong bakuna ang maganda. Obserbahan muna sino pinakamaganda. Subukan. muna nila secretary Duque. Kung safe di susunod kami wala namang problema. Hindi kami ang sampol (The hospitals in Narvacan are ready but we will observe first for fear of the side effects (of the COVID-19 vaccines). They should be the first (to be injected). We have not ordered any vaccines yet. We will first see which vaccine is the best. We will first observe which vaccine is the most effective. Secretary Duque should take the lead. If the vaccine is safe we will follow ( be injected). There should be no problem. I do not want us to be the first to be injected),’’ he added.
Singson’s stand runs contrary to that of San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora who requested to be included in the priority list of health care frontliners for the COVID-19 vaccines to convince their constituents to be vaccinated.
Singson brushed off claims that they are afraid of being vaccinated but maintained that the “leaders (DOH)’’ should serve as role models to ease public fears and ensure that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe.
“Kami naman ay magpapakita lang na safe yan (COVID-19 vaccine) in case na talagang safe yan kung naniniwala na akong safe di ako muna (be injected) para sumunod ang iba (If we can be assured that it (vaccine) is safe, in case it is really safe and I believe it is safe then i will be the first one to be vaccinated so that others will follow), Singson noted.
At present, Singson pointed out there is not a single COVID-19 case in Narvacan but admitted having a few infections in Ilocos Sur province when travellers from Metro Manila arrive.
In these instances, Singson said the infected patients are fetched by the ambulances and are immediately being quarantined.