MANILA, Philippines – Most Filipino adults vaccinated against the coronavirus said they were willing to get a booster shot against COVID-19, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted in December 2021, but released on Thursday night, January 27. 

The survey, held from December 12 to 16, 2021, found 80%, or four out five, vaccinated adult Filipinos say they would surely (73%) or probably (7%) get a booster, while another 7% said they were unwilling to receive an additional shot. The remaining 13% of respondents said they were uncertain at the time. 

Respondents who received at least one dose at the time of the survey were asked: “Kung magrerekomenda ang Department of Health o DOH ng “booster dose” o karagdagang bakuna ng COVID-19 vaccine para sa mga taong nabakunahan tulad mo, kayo po ba ay  (Showcard: Siguradong magpapabakuna; Malamang na magpapabakuna; Hindi tiyak kung magpapabakuna o hindi; Malamang hindi magpapabakuna; Siguradong hindi magpapabakuna)?”

(If the Department of Health or DOH would recommend a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine for vaccinated people like you, would you [Showcard: Surely get vaccinated; Probably get vaccinated; Be unsure about getting vaccinated; Probably not get vaccinated; Surely not get vaccinated]?)

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This is the first time the SWS fielded the question in its quarterly survey. The December 2021 survey period had  a base of 50% of adults with at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.

Willing less to get a booster was high in all areas and eduction levels, and had risen with age, the SWS found. 

Geographically, willingness to get boosted varied slightly with Balance Luzon expressing the highest willingness (82%), followed by Metro Manila (81%), Visayas (79%), and Mindanao (78%).

Among educational levels, willingness was high across all groups. 

College graduates expressed the highest willingness to get a booster (86%), followed by non-elementary graduates (82%), junior high school graduates (79%), and  elementary graduates (77%). But the SWS found unwillingness was also highest among non-elementary graduates at 10%. 

Of those uncertain about getting a booster, 13% were among college graduates, 12% among junior high school graduates, 17% among elementary graduates, and 8% among non-elementary graduates.

The same findings were true for all age groups, with willingness highest among those 55 years old and above (84%), followed by those aged 45 to 55 (81%), 35 to 44 (79%),  25 to 34 (78%), and 18 to 24 (74%).

In December 2020, Philippine health officials endorsed a COVID-19 booster for all adults vaccinated at least three months ago with a two-dose regimen, or at least two months ago if they received a single-dose shot like Johnson & Johnson’s. 

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Pandemic officials, however, have pointed out the slow uptake of boosters despite moves to open eligibly to all adults and shorten the interval for additional shots. The government has since sought to scale up access by tapping pharmacies to roll out boosters, though the initiative had yet to expand beyond several pilot sites. 

The survey was conducted via face-to-face interviews with 1,440 adults from Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The sampling error margins are ±2.6% for national percentages and ±5.2% for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao. – Rappler.com