As Philippines seeks Covid-19 vaccines, ghost of Dengvaxia controversy lingers
- In 1990, nine in 10 Filipinos believed in the importance of vaccines – a trend that’s reversed in recent years following controversy over a dengue vaccine
- As Covid-19 cases rise in one of the region’s worst-hit nations, low public trust in vaccines will be a huge hurdle in the government’s vaccination bid
“Vaccination? Not me, I don’t want it,” said Carlito Cristo Niniado, 68, a carpenter in Manila.
The challenge of convincing Filipinos to take the Covid-19 shots will be a huge hurdle for the Philippine government, which is already plagued by accusations of disorganisation, delay and corruption, as it readies vaccine orders to inoculate 108 million people.
In November, a poll conducted by Pulse Asia Research Inc showed that only 32 per cent of respondents in the Philippines were willing to receive a Covid-19 vaccine.
Almost half of the 2,400 people surveyed said they would skip immunisation, while 21 per cent could not say what their decision was. Many of those who didn’t want to get inoculated said the main reason was they were not certain of the vaccine’s safety.