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Most Filipinos expect a COVID-19 vaccine to become available in the next 12 months, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) mobile phone survey released yesterday showed.
Eighty percent of those surveyed said there would be a vaccine sometime next year, with 27% of the respondents saying that it would “definitely” happen and 53% saying it would “probably” happen. Meanwhile, 17% of those surveyed said that they do not expect a vaccine to become available, with 12% saying that it would “probably” not happen and 5% saying it would “definitely” not happen.
The percentage of Filipinos who expect a vaccine to become available is highest in Metro Manila (82%), followed by the rest of Luzon (79%), the Visayas (79%), and Mindanao (79%).
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The survey was patterned after the Pew Research Center study conducted from April 29 to May 25, which showed that only 73% of Americans expect a vaccine to become available next year.
Meanwhile, the SWS survey showed that 80% of Filipinos expect an effective treatment for COVID-19 to become available next year, with 27% saying that it would “definitely” happen and 53% saying it would “probably” occur. However, 17% of those surveyed proved to be pessimists, with 11% saying it would “probably” not happen and 6% saying it would “definitely” not happen.”
Most of those who said that an effective coronavirus treatment would become available are residents of Metro Manila (85%), followed by the Visayas (82%), Mindanao (81%), and the rest of Luzon (77%).
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The Pew Research Center survey showed that Americans are slightly more optimistic over the availability of effective COVID-19 treatment, with 83% saying that a drug would become available next year.
The SWS survey was conducted from Sept. 17 to 20 and involved 1,249 Filipino respondents from 18 and above. Respondents lived all over the country, with 309 from Metro Manila, 328 from the rest of Luzon, 300 from the Visayas, and 312 residing in Mindanao.
President Rodrigo Duterte has said that his government intends to secure a US$300 million loan to purchase a COVID-19 vaccine for indigent Filipinos. He said this shortly after American pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced that its coronavirus vax is at least 90% effective. However, the president said it would take a while for the vaccine to become available in the Philippines because he expects Pfizer and its German partner company BioNTech to prioritize their home governments’ needs first.
Pfizer has reported no serious safety concerns about its vaccine. However, its clinical trials have yet to be fully completed.
