The refusal of some people to be inoculated against the Covid-19 is the main reason in the expiration of the multi-billion peso worth of vaccines, Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) President Dakila Carlo Cua said on Wednesday, Nov. 23.
In an interview with ABS-CBN, Cua said that the health workers from the ground have disclosed that a number of people continue to be reluctant to be vaccinated amid repeated pleas.
“Isang problema ng mga health workers natin. Marami tayong mga kababayan na hindi na po masyadong nangangamba sa COVID at hindi na rin masyadong interesado sa ating mga bakuna (That (reluctance to be take Covid-19 vaccine) is one of the problems of our health workers. There are many of our countrymen that no longer fear Covid-19 and are not so much interested in our vaccines),’’ Cua explained.
Cua, who is also the Quirino province governor, stated that ploys and many incentives were provided by the mayors and the governors just to entice the public to be vaccinated against the virus but the reception remains lukewarm.
The ULAP chief pointed out that the general public had turned complacent that is why the local government units (LGUs) and the other concerned agencies have worked double time to further improve the vaccination rate in the country.
Despite the LGUs’ efforts, Cua lamented that “sad to say’’ expired Covid-19 vaccines have become common occurrences in the localities.
“Noon pong una ay talagang agawan pa (the LGUs in getting the vaccine) po. Pero ngayon medyo matumal na po ang demand ng ating mga kababayan doon sa kanilang bakuna (Previously, the LGUs were in the long queues to get the vaccine. But now the public’s demand for their vaccines has gone down),’’ he added.
With the LGUs still offering Covid-19 vaccines in the barangays, Cua pointed out that there is still a program that promotes the inoculation of the students since face-to-face had already started this month.
"Doon kami medyo nakaconcentrate ngayon sa mga estudyante tapos siyempre patuloy naman ang tutok ng mga health officers natin sa mga immunocompromised, sa mga seniors, sa mga may malulubhang sakit (That is where we are concentrating now, in the students and then of course the health workers continue to focus to those with immunocompromised individuals, senior citizens and persons with serious ailments),’’ he added.