Half of Filipinos Think COVID Vaccine Rollout is Slow: Poll

Half of Filipinos think the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the Philippines is slow, results of a Social Weather Survey released Tuesday showed as the government rushed inoculations to combat the highly contagious coronavirus Delta variant.

The pace of COVID-19 vaccination is considered slow by 50% of Filipinos for the entire country, 51% for their own barangay, and 44% for their own city or municipality, according to the June 23-26 poll.

Since the Philippines started its COVID-19 vaccination program in March this year, the country has so far fully vaccinated some 12.5 million Filipinos against a target of at least 50 million by November 2021.

Authorities have attributed the slow pace of vaccination to the limited global supply of jabs.

3 in 10 have no access to jabs

The survey also showed that around three in 10 Filipinos or 29% have "no access at all" to a COVID-19 vaccination site in their area.

"Those who complain about the slow pace of vaccination are more prevalent among those with either difficult or no access to a vaccination site than those with easy access," SWS said.

Of the adult Filipinos surveyed,  68% said they have "easy access" to a COVID-19 vaccination site in their area while 3% said they have access but "difficult."

Easy access to a COVID-19 vaccination site is highest in Metro Manila at 83%, SWS said, followed by Mindanao at 71%, Visayas at 67%, and Balance Luzon at 62%.

As of Aug. 15, the Philippines has vaccinated 18.6 million Filipinos of which 12.5 million have completed their needed doses.