A health reform advocate said that pushing for vaccine education as well as enhancing the marketing and sale strategies of vaccination drives in the country may help increase the willingness of the public to get inoculated against Covid-19.

This could also prevent the wastage of vaccines, said health reform advocate and former special adviser of the National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 Dr. Anthony “Tony” Leachon in an interview over DZRH on Tuesday, March 29.

“Ang laking problema nito. Kapag kasi kumukuha ng mga ganitong gamot ay mayroong tinatawag na marketing, sale, at logistics team para tama lang ang kukunin at hindi sosobra. Chine-check din ang imbentaryo, at kapag mataas ang imbentaryo ay kailangan i-push mo ang marketing and sales para maibenta ‘yun (It is a big problem. When you order such vaccines, there is a so-called marketing, sales, and logistics team so that you can only get the right amount. Inventory is also checked, and when the number is too high, you have to push the marketing and sales team to sell it),” said Leachon.

Leachon likewise called on the government to implement a clear and thorough marketing and sale strategies for the country’s vaccination drives.

“Dapat ay namo-monitor nila kung sobra-sobra ang mapapanis na ‘yun. Dapat ay may marketing at sale strategies na silang ginawa noon pa man (They should be monitoring if the inventory is too much or that the doses are nearing its expiration. They should have implemented marketing and sales strategies from the very start),” he added.

Pushing for vaccine education

As Leachon campaigns for vaccine education, he said that it is best to tap the education sector and several workplaces.

“Ang kulang din ay vaccine education. Ilagay na sana sa curriculum ang vaccine hesitancy, adverse effects, at iba pa. Ang una dapat nating ay ang education pati na ang mga workplace (We are also lacking in vaccine education. I hope we can include vaccine hesitancy, adverse effects, and many more in the curriculum. The first thing that we should do is tap the education sector as well as the workplaces),” said Leachon.

Involving medical communities as well as pharmacies across the country could also help alleviate the lingering hesitancy of the public in getting boosted against the disease.

Making vaccines accessible

“Mas maraming mababakunahan kung maraming vaccination sites, maraming doktor , at ang mga workplace ay na-mobilize (More people will be vaccinated if there are more vaccination sites, more doctors are involved, and workplaces are mobilized),” Leachon reiterated.

Meanwhile, he said that changing the definition of “fully vaccinated” may likewise contribute to increasing the willingness of the public to get vaccinated, said the expert.

“Hindi na two doses . Dapat three doses kaya nga boosters ang tawag. Incomplete pa ang bakuna (Two vaccine doses is not enough. It should be three doses, that is why it is called “boosters.” The vaccine is still incomplete with only two doses),” Leachon reiterated.

According to the Department of Health’s National Covid-19 Vaccination Dashboard, only 10,675,663 Filipinos have so far received booster shots against Covid-19 as of March 9, 2022.