REPORTED adverse effects following immunization among those already inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines was only one to one point five percent (1 to 1.5%), according to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.

In an interview with the local media during his visit on March 12 at the Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC) in Dagupan City, Duque said the common side effects are pain at the injection site, swelling, dizziness, while others had headache or weakness.

He added that the major side effects are even lower, which is at .0058 percent as of their data two or three days.

“If you will see the risks versus benefits, the benefits derived from the vaccines which are very important in the fight against the pandemic, are much higher in significance than the feared side effects,” Duque said.

He added, “We need to intensify compliance to all of our minimum public health standards or non-pharmaceutical interventions.”

Duque remarked that vaccines acceptance has increased and the level of hesitancy has lowered which is consistent with the Public Survey Research Center survey that said 77 percent of the Filipinos who were surveyed said they were willing to be vaccinated as long as there will be others to do so ahead of them.

“Here we saw at the R1MC there had been vaccinated so many followed suit,” he said.

He said the government is confident all Filipinos will eventually want to take their COVID-19 jabs the soonest possible time as it is safe and effective protection for all.

Meanwhile, R1MC Chief Dr. Joseph Roland Mejia pledged 100 percent of the hospital workforce will receive COVID-19 inoculation.  (Eva Visperas)

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