Angara says COVID-19 vaccine prices came from DOH

Senator Sonny Angara clarified that the prices of the COVID-19 vaccines that he made available to the public in December was furnished by the Department of Health (DOH).

"These were furnished to our office and the Senate Committee on Finance during the budget deliberations around late November, early December by the Department of Health," he said in a brief manifestation on Friday's Committee of the Whole hearing on the government's vaccine program.

"We have no personal knowledge of these prices and we have not contacted the manufacturers," the chairperson of the finance committee added.

In December, Angara bared a list of available vaccines worldwide and showed Sinovac’s price at P3,629 for two doses.

This is more expensive compared to Pfizer-BioNTech (P2,379); Gamaleya (P1,220); COVAX Facility (P854); AstraZeneca (P610); and Novavax (P366).

Some lawmakers then called on the government to reconsider the purchase of Sinovac vaccine doses because it was allegedly more costly and less effective.

Facing the hearing, coronavirus response officials Carlito Galvez and Vince Dizon said the Philippines may still turn its back on 25 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines manufactured by Chinese firm Sinovac. 

“If the vaccine-expert panel does not recommend a certain vaccine, then the Philippine government will not purchase and will not administer the vaccine,” explained Dizon.

He added that the vaccine-expert panel had only included the seven vaccines, including Sinovac, in the portfolio of possible vaccines to be purchased and used based on an initial review of the data.—LDF, GMA News