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The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that the Philippines establish systems that monitor and treat the side effects of Covid-19 vaccines to minimize fear among the public.
WHO Representative to the Philippines Dr Rabindra Abeyasinghe said the government should be transparent in its vaccine information campaign to address the unwillingness of the majority of Filipinos to get vaccinated against the coronavirus disease.
Surveys by Pulse Asia and Octa Research showed that only a few Filipinos are willing to get vaccinated.
In its poll from November 23 to December 2, Pulse Asia said that 32 percent of Filipino adults said they were willing to get vaccinated, while almost half, or 47 percent, said they were not. 21% of those surveyed were undecided.
Octa Research’s “Tugon ng Masa” (People Response) survey conducted December 9-13, on the other hand, showed that only 1 in 4 people, or 25 percent of respondents in Metro Manila, were willing to get vaccinated.
Abeyasinghe noted that the surveys were conducted before the vaccines developed by Pfizer and BioNTech SE received the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the vaccine in the UK.
“The [survey] it was carried out during the time when we did not have authorization for emergency use for Covid-19 vaccines, so the question was asked in a space where no one knew about the possibility that Covid-19 vaccines would be available so soon ” Abeyasinghe said.
“It is necessary for countries to have systems to monitor possible side effects, that is why we have an emergency use list and that is why the use of vaccines is advocated in places where we need to control the pandemic.” Abeyasinghe said.
He added that health authorities must inform the public that the vaccines received by the US do not have market authorization and are being continuously monitored for possible side effects.
The official said the vaccines are used to control the pandemic by protecting those most at risk, such as the elderly and people with comorbidities, as well as front-line healthcare workers.
WHO granted the emergency use list only for tozinameran, and is now evaluating other vaccines, including the CoronaVac inactivated vaccine from Sinovac Biotech Ltd.
Abeyasinghe said the agency received documents from Sinovac last week and is now reviewing its documentation. If satisfactory, CoronaVac may also receive an EUA.
Tolerable
Dr. Frederick Troncales, a physician based in the United States and one of the first Filipinos to receive the tozinameran vaccine, said side effects can be expected, but are tolerable.
“According to studies done among the millions of people who have been vaccinated in the United States, people who have been vaccinated do not have serious side effects. Others had a mild allergic reaction that resolved with the administration of antihistamines, steroids and surveillance in the emergency room (according to studies of the millions who received the vaccine in the United States, there were no side effects. Others had some allergic symptoms reactions that were resolved by administration of antihistamines, steroids and monitoring in the emergency room ), ”Said Truncales.
The government intends to vaccinate 70 million Filipinos, but Senate minority Franklin Drilon said this could be difficult to achieve.
“The plan is good on paper. The plan is full of uncertainties and leaves too much to chance, ”he said.
“How can they say that they will be able to buy 148 million doses by the end of 2021 when until now we have not given any Emergency Use Authorization to any vaccine and we have not been able to raise, through loans, all the necessary amount for the purchase of the vaccinations? “Drilon said.
“What I heard does not reassure me in the least. To be honest, now I am more confused. The government’s Covid-19 vaccination plan does not provide the public with the security it needs from the government, ”he said.
Drilon said the government’s goal of securing 148 million doses during the year is difficult to achieve.
The financing is not even guaranteed because the government has not fully secured the loans needed to finance the P70 billion in the unscheduled fund for the acquisition of Covid-19 vaccines, he added.
The government allocated P82.5 billion for vaccines, but only P12.5 billion is in the scheduled appropriation – P2.5 billion will come from the General Appropriations Act and another P10 billion from the expanded Bayanihan 2.
The senator also noted that Filipinos’ hesitancy poses a serious risk to the success of the vaccination program.
During the Senate investigation into the government’s Covid-19 vaccination plan, Drilon called for the government to be “transparent and truthful” about the process to build public trust in the Covid vaccine.
“Transparency is a key factor for public confidence in vaccines. The lack of access to information fuels doubts and confusion among citizens, ”he said.
With Bernadette E. Tamayo
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