FDA's Domingo on COVID-19 vaccines: Good to have 'basket of choices'

In getting inoculated against COVID-19, it is good to have "a basket of choices," the head of the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Tuesday.

Interviewed on ANC, FDA director general Eric Domingo said recipients should be able to choose a vaccine best suited for them, taking into consideration their age and co-morbidity.

“We just have to be objective. You've seen it rolled out. You’ve seen it used. You’ve seen the experience. If there’s no severe adverse events and side effects, then it’s something to consider,” he said.

“There's always for each and every patient kasi nga you have to find a better vaccine for you and not one vaccine is probably good for everybody. So it’s good to have a basket of choices,” Domingo added.

Domingo's statement may run contrary to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque's remark on January 11 that Filipinos can't be choosy when they avail of the government’s free COVID-19 vaccination.

According to Domingo, mRNA COVID-19 vaccines like the ones from Pfizer and Moderna, which are completely laboratory-synthesized, recently showed possibility of severe allergic reactions.

"So 'yun talaga ‘yung what we have to watch out for. Kapag meron kang history of severe allergy, maybe this is not the vaccine for you," he said.

In Germany, AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, which is a viral vector vaccine that uses inactivated virus, is not advised for people above 65 years old.

However, Domingo said Germany is the only country that considered such contraindication. He said the measure was put in place because AstraZeneca’s clinical trials were mostly composed of other age groups.

“I really don't think we should discount on these vaccines because we probably need all of them to fight this COVID-19 pandemic,” Domingo said.

On Sunday, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. announced that the Philippines will receive at least 5.6 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca’s vaccines within the first quarter of 2021.

The Philippine government aims to secure around 148 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to inoculate some 50 to 70 million Filipinos this year. —KBK, GMA News