The provincial government of Iloilo is eyeing awareness campaign in the grassroots level to convince residents to get vaccinated against coronavirus disease.
“We will do our best to campaign and encourage to get vaccinated,” said Governor Arthur Defensor Jr.
This is officials found that there is a high rate of hesitancy among residents to get the vaccine against COVID-19 when it arrives.
In particular, Mayor Jaime Esmeralda of Igbaras town revealed that only three out of 100 people are willing to be vaccinated. Esmeralda, a medical doctor by profession, said many of those who oppose getting vaccinated are unsure of the side effects.
The governor emphasized that getting vaccinated is voluntary and not mandatory.
But in order to convince residents in the province’s 42 towns and component city of Passi, Defensor said it is important to educate them of the benefits.
The Iloilo provincial government has signed a P95-million deal with British pharmaceutical firm AztraZeneca for the procurement of 271,000 doses of AZD1222 vaccines.
Meanwhile, staff from the Iloilo Provincial Health Office has to coordinate with the different Rural Health Units (RHUs) to conduct information drives in the barangays.