February 28, 2021 — Thus, declared health social scientist and UP College of Medicine professor Nina Castillo-Carandang as she discussed building up vaccine confidence among healthcare workers and the general public in some TV programs and virtual forums ahead of the vaccine roll out.
At a Department of Health town hall meeting, Dr. Carandang addressed issues on vaccine hesitancy and the crucial role that health workers and social scientists play in increasing vaccine confidence.
“Solidarity, trust, and equity are needed for the COVID-19 vaccination program. Vaccination will help us protect not just ourselves but our families,” she declared. She said that experts from institutions like the UP College of Medicine are ready to lend their help; adding that based on her own experience, people are convinced to get vaccinated once doctors and other health experts explain how immunization works.
Stating that there are enough social scientists in the country but who haven’t been invited as often as other experts, Dr. Carandang explained that beyond physical health, there is social, mental, and emotional well being. Health social scientists bring behavioral and holistic insights beyond medicine.
The National Immunization Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine member assured the public of the safety and efficacy of the vaccines as these are evaluated and certified by vaccine expert panels of the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA, she attests, has a robust process system of different panels of experts looking at the benefits and side effects of the vaccines.
Dr. Carandang appealed to politicians and government officials not to capitalize on and use COVID-19 vaccines to push their political agenda and get votes for the 2022 elections. Local chief executives need to do house-to-house and town hall discussions to convince their constituents to be vaccinated against COVID-19, she urged during a virtual Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines forum.
She presented different surveys showing the relatively low percentage of Filipinos wanting to get vaccinated and their reasons for the hesitancy, among them not enough information on evidences showing the efficacy of the vaccines.
She said local governments should go back to the basics. These could be small groups with physical distancing and small town halls in barangays to do face-
to-face explanations. Dr. Carandang noted that elderly people in rural areas are still using the radio, which might be an additional avenue for vaccine education.
The noted sociologist, daughter of National Scientist Gelia Castillo, revealed additional survey results showing that about 70% of the respondents trust scientists, doctors and other health experts while only 14% trusted politicians. After sharing information on vaccine efficacy from the multi sectoral expert panel, she reported that the number of those who want to get vaccinated rose.
To counter lots of ongoing misinformation and underinformation, she urged media to always hear it from the sources; find the experts and their views, tap into the speakers bureau of DOH, engage more in networking, simplify things; and to depend not only on social media but also on traditional sources.
Cynthia M. Villamor
Published in UP Manila Healthscape Special COVID-19 Issue No. 24
