Trust COVID-19 vaccines, Galvez appeals to public

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. is appealing to the public to put their trust on COVID-19 vaccines, saying the Philippines will only buy vaccines which are safe and effective.

Galvez, who was presented with Pasig City’s COVID-19 vaccination plan on Tuesday, said that COVID-19 vaccines have already been administered to at least 66 million people, including six million who were administered the Chinese vaccine Sinovac.

“Magtiwala po tayo na ang mga bakunang darating ay daraan sa stringent evaluation ng vaccine experts panel at ng FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Lahat po ng vaccine na makakapasa sa FDA, ina-assure po namin na safe ‘yan,” Galvez said.

“Mga 66 million na po ang nabakanuhan [sa buong mundo], 35 million po [gamit ang] Pfizer-BioNTech. Sa Chinese vaccine po na meron tayong agam-agam, 31 million naman na po ang nakatanggap ng Chinese vaccine, kasama na ang Sinovac na six million [ang tumanggap]. Maganda po ang resulta, safe  po at ‘yung adverse effects ay manageable,” he added.

Sinovac’s human trials abroad have shown inconsistent efficacy rates. It posted a 91% efficacy rate in Turkey but only registered a 65% and 50% efficacy rate in Indonesia and Brazil, respectively.

The FDA, however, has only issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Pfizer-BioNTech so far after it found that such vaccine has an efficacy rate of 95% and 92% on study population and among all races, respectively.

Other COVID-19 vaccine makers with pending EUA applications before the FDA are AstraZeneca of UK and Oxford University, Gamaleya of Russia, Sinovac of China and Bharat BioTech of India.

A vaccine should be issued an EUA by the FDA for it to be legally administered in the country.

However, Presidential Security Group Commander Brigadier General Jesus Durante III announced in a television interview in December 2020 that the PSG inoculated themselves with a COVID-19 vaccine which is not registered with the FDA as early as September and October.

Prior to Durante’s disclosure, it was President Rodrigo Duterte himself who revealed that the members of the military got a COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by  Sinopharm.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. has justified this by saying that he fully supports the PSG in doing anything and everything they can to protect the health of President Duterte.

Galvez earlier said the government is eyeing to vaccinate 70 million Filipinos against COVID-19 this year in a best case scenario and that the vaccine rollout is expected to start in March.

Galvez also said that the Philippines will be assured of 148 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from seven companies namely Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Novovax, Johnson and Johnson, Gamaleya and Bharat BioTech.

A survey of the Social Weather Stations conducted in September last year showed that 66% are willing to get the vaccine while 31% were unwilling.

Malacañang said the Dengvaxia controversy influenced Filipinos' attitude toward vaccination against COVID-19. — RSJ/KG, GMA News