(File photo)
MANILA – The country's public acceptance of the coronavirus vaccine has "significantly" increased, National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Monday.
In an interview at the Laging Handa press briefing, Galvez cited the latest SWS survey data showing that vaccine acceptance among Filipinos has increased from 46 percent to 64 percent.
Galvez also cited the importance of having a continuous vaccination information drive to further address vaccine hesitancy.
He said most of the people are misinformed about the Covid-19 vaccines, making them more hesitant to participate in the country's vaccination program.
"Marami talagang sa social media na nakikita natin na talagang maraming disinformation regarding sa safety and efficacy ng ating mga bakuna (A lot of people find much disinformation in social media regarding the safety and efficacy of the vaccines)," he said.
To address the vaccine hesitancy, Galvez said various medical associations, along with the private sector, have formed an "avenue" to push for a massive Covid-19 vaccine information dissemination campaign.
Galvez reiterated that all vaccine portfolios used in the country are "safe and effective as shown in real-world data".
He also urged the public to avoid believing in the anti-vaxxers, who are spreading unverified information and fake news about the Covid-19 vaccines.
Galvez urged the public to get vaccinated as their contribution to the country's goal of achieving population protection.
"Talagang kailangang-kailangan nating magpabakuna. Nakita natin na bumagsak ang ating cases dahil napakataas ng ating pagbabakuna dito sa Metro Manila (We really need to get vaccinated. We see that our cases have gone down due to high vaccination rate here in Metro Manila)," he said. (PNA)
