Shopee and Taguig LGU Provide Care Packages to Support Vaccination Efforts

MANILA, AUGUST 13, 2021 - Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, teams up with the local government unit (LGU) of Taguig City to provide care packages that can encourage more people to get vaccinated and to express gratitude towards frontliners diligently working at the center. Last July 28-30, Shopee rolled out its vaccination center support initiative in Western Bicutan National High School by giving food, water, and health kits from Shopee and its partner brands under Shopee Mall to 1,500 frontliners, staff, and the people getting vaccinated. These included snacks from Del Monte, Perfetti Van Melle, Dutchmill Soy, Monde Nissin, and Rebisco; water from Hope in a Bottle; health kits from Mighty Clean and Colgate; and industrial fans from Symphony.

Martin Yu, Director at Shopee Philippines, said, “Shopee is committed to contributing and positively impacting the community. We are proud to partner with the Taguig LGU in their efforts to inoculate their citizens and are grateful to our brand partners who generously lend us their support in serving the Filipinos. We want to play a part in meaningful initiatives such as this especially when the country is still battling the pandemic. We will continue to support the Filipinos and offer them the help that they need.” 

###

About Shopee

Shopee is the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia & Taiwan. Shopee connects shoppers, brands, and sellers across Asia and other fast-growing markets, empowering anyone to buy and sell anywhere and at any time. 

 

Shopee offers an easy, secure, and engaging experience that is enjoyed by millions of people daily. It offers a wide product assortment, supported by integrated payments and logistics, as well as popular entertainment features tailored for each market. Shopee is also a key contributor to the region’s digital economy with a firm commitment to helping brands and entrepreneurs succeed in e-commerce.

 

Shopee is a part of Sea Limited (NYSE:SE), a leading global consumer internet company. In addition to Shopee, Sea’s other core businesses include its digital entertainment arm, Garena, and digital financial services arm, SeaMoney. Sea’s mission is to better the lives of consumers and small businesses with technology.

Moving the needle: Havas Life tackles COVID vaccine issues

As the Philippines ramps up its vaccination program against COVID 19, the country continues to face several key issues ranging from vaccine hesitancy to the emergence of new COVID variants. In an effort to help move from vaccine hesitancy to vaccine confidence and encourage private companies to take part in advocating vaccination among Filipinos, Havas Life recently hosted “VacciNation: Vaccines for a Healthier Nation.”

The online conversation, part of Havas’ The New Life webinar series, featured Professor Emeritus of University of the Philippines College of Medicine’s Dr. Lulu Bravo, Havas Health & You Global Chief Medical Officer Dr. Suketu Patel, and consumer healthcare expert Dave McCaughan. They each discussed the role of health care professionals in building vaccine resilience in the Philippines and the narrative around vaccination positivity. 

Vaccines as a public health issue

Dr. Lulu Bravo, a leading pediatrician and staunch advocate of vaccination in the country, underlined the importance of discussing vaccines as a public health concern. 

“When you vaccinate an individual, you should emphasize that it is not just the person you are protecting from getting sick. You are preventing the community, their family, their loved ones from being infected.” Dr. Bravo, who leads and co-founded the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, also reminded Filipinos to not neglect protecting children from vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, dengue, and polio. 

She encouraged the health care sector to take the lead in the issue by building alliances and advocacy as a united voice. “We need to build resilient and sustainable immunization systems and follow-up with programs that can withstand major shocks and maintain high vaccine uptake. We need experts who would respond with empathy, equity, equality, timeliness, honesty, and confidence.”  

“Vaccination is what will drive the end of this pandemic. The goal is to get as many people around the world to be vaccinated as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Suketu Patel who discussed the groundbreaking role of immunology in significantly increasing life expectancy around the world. Dr. Patel said that all vaccines are effective against the emerging COVID-19 variants, which are also more transmissible. 

Creating positive vaccine conversations

All three experts agreed on the importance of framing narratives in order to encourage vaccine confidence, such as positive conversations about vaccines and talking about positive vaccination experiences that focus on facts. “We must understand people’s motivations and frame conversations in ways that matter to them,” stressed Dr. Bravo. “A lot of the factors that lead people to questioning vaccines have nothing to do with the science. We need help to spread correct information. A strong health care recommendation is a powerful predictor of vaccination.”

David McCoughan, of consultancy firm Bibliosexual, shared how analyzing online content can help the health sector and governments better understand people’s sentiments about vaccines. “When it comes to vaccine positivity, we should move from threatening language to encouraging stories. In Southeast Asia for example, we have been seeing a lot of future-proofing trends online. In the Philippines, more people have been looking up online resources such as setting up online businesses and acquiring online certificate courses. We can take advantage of this proactive behavior and create conversations about the COVID vaccine around these topics showing people how to future-proof their lives.” 

Havas Media Ortega’s recent prosumer report on Health and Hygiene also underscored that when it comes to vaccines, doctors are still the primary influencers. The report also showed that 85% of prosumers are willing to get vaccinated despite initial setbacks and 64% are willing to tolerate mild to moderate side effects in exchange for effectiveness. 

About Havas Life

Havas Life is in the business of Life Improvement. Combining strategic insights with medical and scientific expertise for many specialized health and wellness, we create best-in-class work and services. We provide an integrated approach to communication from medical and technical know-how to patient comms, from internal communications to trade.

What Does Healthcare look like Post-Pandemic? Havas Life Responds

As the world grapples with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals and companies have been compelled to rethink the ways they live and operate. No other sector has been pushed to the brink more than healthcare, with everyone from health systems and hospitals to medical front-liners and their patients, constantly innovating and adapting to rise to the challenge.

Havas Life Manila aims to be a partner of the health sector as it continues to battle the pandemic and the imminent effects of its aftermath. Together with healthcare experts from the Nicholas Hall Group of Companies and experiential marketing firm MME Connections, Havas Life Manila launches The New Life, a campaign that aims to provide insights on post-pandemic healthcare through a series of dialogues with medical and scientific experts.

This free three-part webinar series will feature a powerhouse lineup of resource speakers that includes industry leaders and professionals who will discuss the most pressing topics on health and wellness brought about by the COVID-19 crisis.

“The pandemic has taught us that we are stronger and more effective when we work together,” said General Manager of Havas Life, Amor Magno. “We believe that by facilitating conversations with key players in the health industry, we can collaborate to solve current issues and mitigate future challenges. We also hope that this 2021, Filipinos will prioritize their health more and cultivate a better understanding of public health matters. While the world was quite unprepared in dealing with this global pandemic, we can move forward by utilizing technologies and mainstreaming public health discussions through initiatives such as The New Life.

“The Nicholas Hall Group of Companies is excited to be part of this conversation in the Philippines,” expressed Executive Chairman & Creative Solutions Director Nicholas Hall. “We are more than happy to tap into our global network of specialists, as well as our extensive resource of data and research, to help Filipinos navigate the current crisis. With more developments about vaccines and new information about the virus itself coming out constantly, we need to have more regular discussions so that the industry, and therefore also the general public, can be informed and guided accordingly.”

The online conference series is set on the following dates with their respective topics: March 25, “New Ways to Care: The Future of Healthy Doctor-Patient Relationships”; June 24, “VacciNation: Vaccines for a Healthier Nation”; September 30, “Health Futurecast: A Glimpse of the Future of Healthcare and Wellness.” The first 50 registrants will also get to be part of a virtual chat with Nicholas Hall himself.

Havas Life is Havas Ortega’s response to the impacts of the COVID pandemic. It provides an integrated approach to communication by combining strategic insights with medical and scientific expertise.

For more information on how to sign up for the webinar, visit https://havaslife.mme.ph/.

Vaccination Myths and Facts

 

You may have completed your vaccinations when you were a child, but do you know that vaccines are not only for kids but for adults, too? Vaccines are among the most cost-effective health interventions available. They help ensure optimum health.

“Vaccines provide heightened protection against diseases, disabilities and even death. They prepare the body to fight diseases without exposing the person to the symptoms. Many believe immunizations are for children only. But you are never too old to get vaccinated. Newer vaccines are being developed and booster shots may be necessary to maintain the efficacy of certain vaccines. Vaccination is important especially if you have a chronic disease, are pregnant, sexually active, or if your work requires you to travel to places where you can be exposed to different diseases,” says MediCard president and CEO Dr. Nicky Montoya.

MediCard, a leading HMO provider in the country, debunks some myths on vaccinations:

Myth: Vaccines are for children only.

Fact: Vaccines don’t offer lifetime immunity to diseases; they stimulate antibody production. Almost all vaccines wear off after 5-10 years. Getting vaccinated as an adult is just as important as getting it when you are young because you might be at risk for a new or different disease. The vaccinations you need are determined by factors such as age, lifestyle, health conditions, travel, and previous immunizations. To find out what vaccines you need, consult your doctor.

Myth: Vaccines are ineffective and harmful.

Fact: Vaccines are effective and safe. They go through comprehensive testing before they are approved for general use. They are also continuously monitored for safety and effectiveness. For those who worry that vaccines will cause serious side effects, Dr. Montoya says such cases are very rare. Normal reactions to vaccination include redness, pain, and swelling in the body part where the shot was given.

Myth: Vaccines weaken the immune system.

Fact: Vaccines actually strengthen the immune system and help fight diseases. Vaccines strengthen the immune system by safely introducing an antigen, a substance that triggers the production of antibodies needed to neutralize viruses and bacteria. Vaccines also stimulate defense mechanisms that provide protection against specific diseases. Fears that vaccines can overload the immune system are unfounded because a healthy person’s immune system can recognize and handle thousands of organisms at once.

                                                                                                                          

Myth: Vaccinations are not needed if you live a healthy lifestyle.

Fact: Good hygiene, a balanced diet and an active lifestyle can help prevent the spread of diseases, but you are still exposed to germs and viruses. This is why getting vaccinated is encouraged, even if you live a healthy lifestyle, as it provides a significant level of protection from diseases.

                                                  

Learn more about vaccinations. MediCard has several free-standing clinics located in key cities nationwide that offer consultations, tests and vaccinations. Visit a MediCard clinic near you or check out their website at www.medicardphils.com for more information.