Majority of surveyed nurses willing to be vaccinated –FNU

The majority of the nurses surveyed by Filipino Nurses United were willing to get vaccinated against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In its one-week long survey, FNU said 494 out of its 646 nurse respondents were willing to be inoculated.

A total of 37 nurses did not want to get vaccinated mainly due to the vaccine’s side effects, while the remaining 115 nurses were still undecided.

“The survey findings show that nurses are willing to be vaccinated if there is full guarantee for their safety so that they can still continue serving and caring for their patients/clients,” FNU said.

“As a matter of life and death, the decision to take the vaccine is serious, crucial and urgent, so therefore, nurses and other health workers need serious, consistent assurance that health workers will be prioritized to be given the free, safe and adequate vaccine for all and categorical accountability from the government especially after the immunization took place,” it added.

Further, FNU called on the government to “take full responsibility in vaccine regulation and monitoring for adverse side effects, indemnification for serious adverse effects and death, for treatment and hospitalization for all health workers and the public.”

“Strengthening public health care system including infection-control measures, free mass testing, systematic contact-tracing and adequate quarantine services as well as economic support for the people,” it added.

The Philippines aims to vaccinate up to 70 million Filipinos this year. Frontline health workers will be the first to receive the vaccines, according to the government. — DVM, GMA News