Months after the government started their vaccination program against the COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy is still a problem confronted by the country.
52-year-old Rowena Torres is one of the Filipinos who are highly hesitant to get themselves inoculated of the coronavirus vaccine. She is a house helper in Marikina City, and according to her she needs to be “physically able to work” every day since her job requires her to.
Rowena Torres said that the possible side effects of the vaccines will be a hindrance to her job as a house helper, and getting inoculated might trigger her history of tuberculosis. She is the breadwinner in her family and she cannot afford not getting paid for a day, if she would be forced to file a day-off because of the side effects of the vaccines.
“Nakakatakot ‘yung mga side effects. Malakas naman ako tapos baka humina pa ako dahil dun sa mga bakuna,” Torres said.
In a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from April to May 2021, the top reason for hesitancy in the vaccine program of the government is the fear over possible side effects.
For Torres, she is convinced to wait for herd immunity instead of getting vaccinated. “Hintayin ko na lang ‘yung iba na mabakunahan. Marami namang iba dyan na willing e. Kahit sabihin pang ilang araw lang naman ‘yung epekto ng side effects, mahirap pa rin.”
Recently, in a taped briefing on May 26, vaccine czar Carlito Galver Jr. said that vaccine hesitancy is high among the poor. He also noted that there is still hesitancy among healthcare workers, who are the most encouraged individuals to get the vaccines.
"Yung A, B and C group po ng population mataas ang uptake pero sa mga barangay, kaloob looban ng mga congested area doon po tayo nahihirapan na more or less 30 percent or 40 percent parang ayaw magpabakuna," Galvez said.
Galvez then stressed that local government units should take efforts in boosting vaccine confidence in their localities.
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