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Dear Editor,

I read with interest a recent article published in this journal regarding using United Kingdom (UK) faith centers as a potential model for community-based health care delivery. These centers were utilized as vaccination sites during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors concluded that vaccination in faith centers appears acceptable for different faith groups, ensuring convenient access for communities from all religions and ethnic backgrounds [1]. I firmly support this claim as this was also done in the Philippines during the pandemic and contributed to improved vaccine uptake. In addition, I want to present other strategies in the Philippines that effectively helped the government’s vaccination program. It is also important to identify the challenges that resulted from these strategies, which must be addressed in future vaccination programs.

Like in the UK, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines assured that Catholic churches remain available as venues if needed for vaccination against COVID-19 during the height of the pandemic. As a predominantly Christian country, churches are considered the central place of refuge and comfort among Filipinos where they expressed their religiosity through prayer, fellowship, and the active participation in various rituals, sacraments, and other practices. This reality is the reason why vaccine hesitancy was overpowered by the religiosity of those who were vaccinated. They feel well-protected and secured as long as they are inside the church, their haven. The negative feeling towards the vaccine’s adverse effects is replaced by the consoling atmosphere inside the church and from the protection of the Higher Being. Thus, many Filipinos availed of this opportunity for these reasons, aside from its accessibility.

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Letter to the Editor
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