THE Philippines and many Asean nations will need over a decade to vaccinate majority of their respective populations, according to the Covid-19 vaccine tracker of Bloomberg.
The data, which was based on vaccine information from the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, showed the average vaccination rate in the Philippines is at 25,527 doses per day, the third highest in the Asean.
“In the Philippines, the latest vaccination rate is 25,527 doses per day, on average. At this pace, it will take another more than 10 years to cover 75 percent of the population,” Bloomberg stated.
However, Asean countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia will be able to vaccinate 75 percent of their population within 7.5 years.
Data for Singapore showed that at an average rate of 30,185 doses per day, it will be able to vaccinate 75 percent of its population in a period of just eight months.
This is followed by Indonesia which can cover majority of its population in 3.1 years. The average vaccination rate in the country is at 342,132 doses per day, the highest in Asean.
This is followed by Malaysia which, at the rate of 17,688 doses per day, needs 7.5 years to vaccinate majority of its population.
Meanwhile, Asean nations in the same boat as the Philippines are Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar. The report did not include data from Brunei Darussalam and Lao PDR.
The average vaccination rate in Vietnam is 3,675 doses per day; Thailand, 3,350 doses per day; Cambodia, 4,622 doses per day; and Myanmar, 52 doses per day.
Globally, the data showed it will take three years before the world can vaccinate 75 percent of all humankind. The current average vaccination rate is at 10.01 million doses per day.
In an Asian Development Blog, Asian Development Bank (ADB) Independent Evaluation Department Senior Evaluation Specialist Saleha Waseem said vaccination programs, including that for Covid-19, should not stop at financing.
The national government earlier received a $400-million loan from the ADB’s Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility (or APVAX). The Philippines is the first country to receive funding from the facility.
The $9 billion APVAX was created for the purpose of timely vaccine procurement and capacity building as well as infrastructure investment.
“Financing is just the starting point. Delivering vaccines is a complex process, containing many moving parts including strategic and proactive communications. Engaging with those unsure about inoculations will go a long way toward optimizing the Covid-19 vaccine rollout,” Waseem said.
Waseem said the success of all vaccination programs rest on good communication which can combat misinformation and overcome hesitancy among vaccine recipients.
She said the lack of effective communication strategies have been cited by ADB’s evaluation reports and the medical journal Lancet that effective communication are needed to vaccine acceptance.
A Lancet study, Waseem said, found that factors influencing vaccine decisions include trust, safety, effectiveness, and compatibility of the vaccine to religious beliefs.
“During an online fitness class, my trainer asked me if I would opt for vaccination against Covid-19. I told him I would do so as soon as I had the option,” Waseem said.
“Not convinced, the trainer enquired if I was aware that the Covid-19 vaccine could alter the recipient’s DNA. I argued with scientific facts that dispute this claim but very quickly realized I had lost the debate to the information the trainer had read on social media,” she lamented.
Waseem said communication strategies, media involvement and strategic engagement of stakeholders for new vaccine introduction will play a positive role.
She added that messaging from local leaders, celebrities, and other credible individuals, can contribute a great deal.