Medical group urges media to limit interviews on COVID-19 vaccines to experts
Health workers in a vaccination facility in Ilocos Sur province prepare to administer COVID-19 vaccines. (Photo courtesy of the Vigan city government)
MANILA, Philippines — The Vaccine Solidarity Movement (VSM), a medical coalition, urged the media on Monday to limit interviews on COVID-19 vaccination to medical experts endorsed by the Department of Health (DOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
It pointed to misinformation and anti-vaxxers as the main causes of vaccine hesitancy in the country.
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“There are only limited fields of specializations that are allowed to speak about vaccination on national media and the DOH and WHO should endorse experts from this field before they grant any media interviews,” the VSM said.
The group said it would provide the media with a list of experts who can speak about vaccination credibly and from experience.
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“We will define, once and for all, what constitutes an expert in a specific field like vaccination. We will also arrange for Vaccine Education Camps for the Media to help them understand the true science behind vaccines from the leading experts,” the VSM said.
The group then condemned health care professionals who had deliberately caused panic and fear among the public by spreading anti-vaccination sentiments.
“To put it simply, you cannot call yourself a doctor or a medical expert if you’re an anti-vaxxer. There is no room in the medical field for people who question the validity and the scientifically proven positive effects of vaccines,” the coalition said.
It also denounced non-expert medical professionals who continued πto spread lies and misinformation to the public and engage with the media for interviews.”
“These people are not only anti-vaxxers, [but] they’re also anti-life and anti-poor. Vaccination is the only scientifically proven method to protect the poorest of the poorest and they are depriving them of this essential medical need,” the VSM said.
“Consequently, being an anti-vaxxer at this time is tantamount to criminality,” it added.
The VSM also pointed to politics as another culprit behind vaccine hesitancy, adding that it would not allow vaccination to be “politicized and weaponized once again to the detriment of the Filipino people.”
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OCTA Research earlier released results of its survey where it showed an increase in the number of people willing to get vaccinated. Despite the increase, however, only 53% of the respondents said that they would be willing to get vaccinated.
This proves even more worrisome as the Philippines is currently experiencing another surge in COVID-19 cases, recording
18,332 new cases
on Aug. 23.
This is the highest daily number the Philippines has recorded since the pandemic was declared in 2020.
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