INQUIRER PHOTO
Vaccine skepticism amid the pandemic dropped by 10 percentage points since the third quarter, according to a fourth quarter poll by Social Weather Stations (SWS) released on Thursday afternoon.
The survey, conducted via face-to-face interviews from Dec. 12, 2021 to Dec. 16, 2021, found only 8 percent of adult Filipinos saying they were unwilling to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
SWS said this was 鈥渄own from the 18 [percent] in September 2021,鈥� whereas that figure also declined from 21 percent in June and 33 percent in May, the polling group noted.
Of the 8 percent, 7 percent said they were 鈥渟urely not鈥� and 1 percent said they were 鈥減robably not鈥� going to be vaccinated.
SWS also found only 6 percent saying they were uncertain about getting inoculated鈥攁lso a considerable drop from 19 percent in September, 24 percent in June and 35 percent in May last year.
Skepticism dropped
Among the unvaccinated respondents, 35 percent were willing to get the COVID-19 jabs, of which 33 percent said they will 鈥渟urely get vaccinated鈥� and 3 percent said they will 鈥減robably get vaccinated.鈥�
According to the survey, 50 percent of the respondents said they had received at least one dose鈥攁 steady increase from the 35 percent in September and 10 percent in June last year.
The percentage of those unwilling to be vaccinated fell in all geographical areas between September and December, from 7 percent to 4 percent in Metro Manila, 15 percent to 8 percent in Luzon outside Metro Manila, 24 percent to 15 percent in the Visayas and 25 percent to 8 percent in Mindanao.
Among the unvaccinated, those willing to get the jabs rose in Luzon outside Metro Manila (from 29 percent in September to 35 percent in December), Mindanao (29 percent to 46 percent) and the Visayas (35 percent to 38 percent), but fell slightly in Metro Manila (16 percent to 13 percent).
Vaccine skepticism also dropped in all educational levels and age groups.
The survey was conducted among 1,440 adult respondents and had a sampling margin of error of plus-or-minus 2.6 percent for national percentages, and plus-or-minus 5.2 percent for all geographical areas.
Booster rollout
Meanwhile, the government may expand the distribution of booster shots in pharmacies and clinics outside Metro Manila by next week, after the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) described as 鈥渧ery successful鈥� the turnout of the vaccination drive in the capital region on Thursday.
A total of 422 jabs were administered that day in four pharmacies selected for the NTF鈥檚 鈥淩esbakuna sa Botika鈥� inoculation drive, according to the chief implementer of the task force, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr.
鈥楤eyond expected number鈥�
The NTF tally showed that Mercury Drug administered 80 doses in a store in Manila; Watsons, 100 in a branch in Taguig; Generika, 110 also in Taguig; and Southstar Drug, 172 in Marikina.
鈥淲e were only eyeing 50 to 100 per pharmacy, but they all went beyond the expected number,鈥� Galvez told reporters in Makati on Friday as they witnessed the booster rollout conducted by QualiMed Clinic at the corner of McKinley Road and the Edsa beltway.
鈥淭his is a good sign that the rollout will be good in the coming days,鈥� he said.
Besides QualiMed, Healthway clinics in Manila and Generics Pharmacy outlets in Para帽aque also took part in Friday鈥檚 vaccination effort.
Slow pace
Galvez said each of the participating drug stores or clinics would now be given a maximum of 500 doses per day 鈥渢o avoid wastage and for safety reasons.鈥�
But as they become more accustomed to administering the shots, their daily allocation could be raised to 1,000 doses, he added.
Although he saw the Resbakuna sa Botika program as being off to a good start, Galvez also acknowledged the slow pace in the nationwide rollout of booster shots.
He said at least 500,000 doses must be administered daily for the government to achieve soon enough its target of 72.16 million of the country鈥檚 population.
But since Nov. 17 last year, only an average of 267,000 jabs have been administered daily, according to the NTF.
鈥淲ith the Omicron surge, many of our health workers have been infected with COVID-19. We need additional manpower,鈥� Galvez said. 鈥擠EXTER CABALZA AND INQUIRER RESEARCH