At least 10 to 15 percent of Filipinos remain skeptical about getting vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said.
DOH Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said that during the initial vaccination rollout last March, about 35 percent of Filipinos were hesitant to get vaccinated.
“Karamihan sa mga vaccine hesitant yung mga 'watch and wait'---tinitingnan muna nila kung safe ba talaga o kung effective ba ito (Most of these vaccine hesitant people are 'watch and wait' --- they first check if it's really safe or if it's effective),” said Vega in an interview with radio DZBB on Sunday, Nov. 14.
“But as we move along through the months, kumokonti na yung mga 'watch and see'--- yung 35 percent na yan--- umaabot na nasa 10 to 15 percent na lamang yung talagang hindi magpabakuna (the number of these 'watch and see' individuals is decreasing --- that 35 percent --- it's now only about 10 to 15 percent who don't want to get vaccinated),” he added.
Those people who remain hesitant about the vaccines have “personal beliefs” that these may cause harm to their health, said Vega.
“Meron silang mentality na hindi para sa kanila ang bakuna (They have a mentality that the vaccine is not for them),” he said.
Vega encouraged Filipinos to have a vaccination “bubble” within their respective households.
“Importanteng-importante talaga na pag nasa pamilya ka, lahat dito sa household niyo dapat may bubble kayo, talagang bakunado kayo lahat (It's really important that in the family, you should have a bubble, everyone is vaccinated),” said Vega.
“Kung hindi, baka yung mga matatanda at may sakit sa bahay ay talagang mahahawahan (Otherwise, the elderly and those with comorbidities at your home may be infected),” he added.
Meanwhile, Vega urged the public, especially senior citizens and those with comorbidities, to participate in the three-day national vaccination drive set on Nov. 29 until Dec. 1.
“Ang priority talaga nito ay yung mga A2 at A3---dapat mabakunahan na sila. Karamihan sa mga seniors ---hindi pa umaabot sa 70 percent (Our priority is the A2 and A3 --- they should be vaccinated. The number of senior citizens who received the vaccines is still less than 70 percent),” he said.
“Ito talaga yung bibigyan natin ng priority sa pagbabakuna dahil sila yung tinatamaan talaga ng severe and critical (They are really our priority in the vaccination because they are the ones who may develop a severe and critical form of COVID-19),” he added.