Government taps health care workers to promote vaccine confidence

MANILA, Philippines — To promote public confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine, the government has sought the assistance of health care workers (HCWs) nationwide.

Together with other government agencies, the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday held a town hall meeting to seek the support of the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) in addressing the lack of information or disinformation about coronavirus vaccines.

“All of us at DOH and the entire vaccine cluster are appealing to everyone here to be a champion for our vaccine. The success of the COVID-19 vaccine will depend on the trust of our citizens on its value as an instrument in maintaining the high standards of public health,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque said in Filipino during the meeting.

“We know that vaccines work and have great benefits. This is why we, as healthcare workers, have the responsibility to ensure that we afford these benefits to the common Juan, and we can start doing this by making sure that people are adequately informed about the benefits of vaccines,” Duque added.

With the expected arrival of vaccines in February, Duque said the next challenge lies in increasing vaccine confidence for its consequent rollout.

“The government requires – and will solicit the assistance of – allied medical professionals such as nurses, midwives, pharmacists and barangay health to aid us in making the COVID-19 vaccine deployment a success,” the health chief noted.

The DOH said nurses and other HCWs can lend a hand in effective communication and addressing primary barriers on vaccine acceptance.

PNA president Rosalie de Leon stressed that HCWs must be properly informed about the COVID-19 vaccines.

“It is important to have the necessary information of these vaccines for our healthcare workers to help in this drive. Safety is our priority,” De Leon said.

On the other hand, the World Health Organization sees the need for a new survey to determine the actual level of vaccine hesitancy. – Ding Cervantes