WITH a large number of Filipinos still unwilling to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday said it will continue to enhance its information drive about the vaccine and its accessibility.
“We continue to enhance our information drive, especially in the regions because we want to increase the vaccine uptake in the country,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing.
On ensuring that COVID-19 jabs are accessible to anyone, she said the DOH has integrated its COVID-19 vaccination into its regular health services.
“In every health center, you can access the COVID-19 vaccines,” she said.
“You will not need to schedule your vaccination since we have designated health centers as vaccination sites,” she added.
The statement was issued after a December 2022 survey of the Social Weather Stations showed that 69 percent of about 9.5 million unvaccinated Filipinos still refuse to get the shot.
DOH data showed that as of March 16, at least 78.4 million Filipinos have been fully-vaccinated against COVID-19 while about 23.8 million fully-vaccinated individuals have received the first of two booster doses.
As for bivalent COVID-19 jabs being eyed by the Philippines, Vergeire said the DOH continues to wait for directives from Malacañang regarding the doses set to be donated.
She said the DOH has conducted meetings with the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs, Department of Justice, and Office of the Solicitor General regarding bivalent jabs donations.
She also said the government affirmed to the COVAX Facility the Philippines’ interest in receiving donated bivalent jabs.
