Almost half of city village chiefs ‘undecided’ on vaccination

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

 

The spokesperson of the Iloilo City’s Liga ng mga Barangay on Friday said that almost half of the 180 barangay captains in the city have second thoughts on the vaccines against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

This comes on the heels of the initial report from the Iloilo City Government indicating that only 29%, or 2,868 residents, were willing to undergo Covid-19 vaccination.

The data was culled from the filled-up vaccination consent forms distributed to 9,731 residents in 88 barangays in the city.

The Liga’s vice president and spokesperson Roberto Niño of Calumpang, Molo district told Aksyon Radyo Iloilo Friday that they had received initial orientation on the vaccines from the city government’s COVID Team.

The Covid Team is a group of doctors from private medical institutions advising the city government on policies and response to the pandemic.

In his own village, Niño instructed barangay officials and volunteers to disseminate the information they received from these orientations regarding the city government’s Covid-19 Vaccination Plan.

“The instruction we received from our Covid-19 Team of the city government is of a massive information drive. The district medical officers gave a series of orientations to the respective barangays in the seven districts of our city, together with our barangay officials and volunteer health workers, so that we can be oriented regarding the Vaccination Plan of our city, at the same time, the adverse or side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine,” Niño said.

As to the initial data on the vaccination consent, Niño said two reasons came up in their survey – fear of the vaccine’s adverse effects, and lack of correct information regarding Covid-19 vaccines.

He added that the Liga in its meeting on Thursday had resolved to conduct orientations catered to those who are still doubtful about the vaccination process and its effectivity.

“The first reason that they have as to why they don’t want to get vaccinated is their fear, and second the Covid-19 vaccine, most especially the people who haven’t been properly informed and also the information they got from other countries where there were people who died, developed rashes, and other illnesses which came out. Barangay officials acknowledged their fears and second thoughts and we said that it is the natural reaction of the people because the vaccine hasn’t arrived yet,” he added.

Niño also revealed that almost half of all barangay captains in the city were still undecided, especially those who are already senior citizens.

But he stopped short of saying that they do not want to get vaccinated.

“There are still some who are doubtful and undecided because they don’t have enough information regarding the Covid-19 vaccine program of our city. In our conversations with them, our series of meetings with them, almost half of the 180 barangay [captains] are still undecided. They didn’t say that they won’t get vaccinated, but they are just undecided, because of the fear of the adverse effect,” he said.

He is hopeful that further orientations with the barangay officials can help them understand the importance of Covid-19 vaccination in the city.

“That is why our medical officers rolled out a series of orientations for them, to help them understand the gray areas in their thoughts and they would be enlightened on the plans of the city government, and eventually they themselves could manifest or affirm the safety, security, and protection of the vaccines for their people,” he said.

He also said that the city government, aided by the Liga, will do its best to ramp up its campaign to have people vaccinated, also in light of this week’s survey results.