(File photo)
MANILA – About 70.14 percent of the Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel have expressed willingness to get inoculated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine, a police official said Monday.
"I would like to give you an update with the survey that we are conducting. As of this moment, out of the 219,130 (PNP) personnel (now in active duty), those hesitant to take Covid-19 vaccines number around 65,434 which is 29.86 percent. So meaning we have 153,696 police personnel willing to be vaccinated or 70.14 percent," PNP deputy chief for administration Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said in a press briefing.
The latest figure is higher by seven percent than last week, which Eleazar described as a great improvement, compared to some two weeks ago when 49 percent of the police personnel was hesitant to get vaccinated.
He attributed the positive response to the information dissemination made by the PNP Health Service and the ground commanders, as he hoped the number to go higher.
As for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), its spokesperson earlier said it is not running a survey on whether its personnel are willing to get inoculated.
"We do not have a canvass as to who are willing to be vaccinated and who is not," AFP spokesperson Marine Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said in a message to reporters.
As professional soldiers, Arevalo said they would get inoculated with government-approved vaccines to better perform their mandate.
"But we are mindful to give priority to the medical/health front-liners amongst us. That number constitutes around 25 percent of the entire AFP's strength," Arevalo said.
Among troops who would get the first shots of the Covid-19 jabs are those tasked to conduct security operations to protect the areas for vaccinations.
Also included are those involved in the delivery and transportation of these vaccines to the cold storage and vaccination areas and assigned to medical support operations. (with Priam F. Nepomuceno/PNA)
