By Lade Jean Kabagani | Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The latest survey that showed dropped in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy means the government’s pandemic response is in the “right direction” to restore normalcy, acting presidential spokesperson Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Thursday (Jan. 27).
The latest data from the OCTA Research Group’s Tugon ng Masa national poll conducted on Dec. 7 to 12 last year showed that only 5% of adult Filipinos said they do not want to get vaccinated against COVID-19, down from 22% in September 2021.
The OCTA survey also showed that only 2% of adult Filipinos have contracted COVID-19 infection after being fully vaccinated.
“This is incontrovertible evidence that COVID-19 vaccines protect us, our loved ones, and our communities from the virus,” Nograles said in a statement.
“It also emphasizes that vaccination is a step towards the right direction in our efforts to restore normalcy,” he added.
The Philippines has so far administered 125,089,117 vaccine doses nationwide, with 58,149,158 Filipinos now fully vaccinated, and 6,851,138 eligible individuals with booster doses.
“Having said this, we will continue to explore different methods to make vaccines more accessible to our people — such as the Resbakuna sa Botika Drive and the We Vax as One Mobile Vaccination Drive for Transport Workers — as part of our goal to inoculate 90 million Filipinos by the end of the term of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” Nograles said.
Meanwhile, the same OCTA survey also revealed that vaccine hesitancy remains highest in Visayas and Mindanao at 9% each, followed by National Capital Region and Balance Luzon at 3% each.
The Palace earlier cited that the influence and capacity of the local leaders to convince their constituents on the safety and effectiveness of all COVID-19 vaccines are important to address vaccine hesitancy in their respective areas. (PNA) -ag
