DAVAO City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio has made it clear on Monday (January 18, 2021) that the City Government will not force the residents to be inoculated with the vaccine against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
"Masking dili nato ma-reach ang herd immunity, dili nato pwede na pugson ang tao para magpabakuna (Even if we won't be able to reach our targeted herd immunity, we cannot force the people to have themselves vaccinated)," Duterte-Carpio said on Monday, January 18, 2021, in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
She added there will be no penalties for those who will refuse the Covid-19 vaccine.
Eric Domingo, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) director general, also said Filipinos will not be forced to be inoculated with the vaccine.
"Wala naman po talagang pwedeng pilitin para bakunahan. Hindi po kayo pwedeng pilitin at hindi po tayo pwedeng sapilitan, kapag tayo ay nagpabakuna kailangan naiintindihan natin kumpleto kung ano ang benepisyo at adverse events, side effects o risks nito (No one can be forced to be vaccinated. You can't be forced and we can't make it mandatory; when we take the shot we must understand completely the benefits and adverse events, its side effects or risks)," Domingo was quoted saying a Philippine News Agency (PNA) report.
It is the very right of a person to refuse to be inoculated with a vaccine. This is not something new to our society as there are several sectors that refuse to get one because of different reasons. There are sectors that do not want to be vaccinated for religious reasons; others may have been misinformed; there are also those who are truly anti-vaccines.
There are also those who understand the need to get a vaccine and how it works but would temporarily refuse to get one because they want to wait for a better vaccine or want more information regarding it.
However, it is also important for the country to be able to vaccinate as many Filipinos to achieve what health experts call a "herd immunity."
World Health Organization (WHO) defines herd immunity, also known as "population immunity," as the indirect protection from an infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection.
"WHO supports achieving 'herd immunity' through vaccination, not by allowing disease to spread through any segment of the population, as this would result in unnecessary cases and deaths," WHO said in a press release dated December 31, 2020.
Hence, communication and transparency will play a key role in letting Filipinos understand the importance of the Covid-19 vaccine and at the same time debunk myths created by those spreading disinformation.
For a government whose vaccine program has been gravely affected by the Dengvaxia issue several years ago, the Philippine government will have to make an extra effort in communicating the information about the vaccine to the public.
The government and vaccine manufacturers have to also be transparent and ready to answer any issues surrounding the vaccine.
Inoculation of the Covid-19 is not mandatory. But for the nation to lower its Covid-19 infections and manage the risks caused by the disease, there is a need to vaccinated as many Filipinos as it can. One of the ways it could achieve that is by properly informing and making Filipinos understand the vaccines they are about to get.