Duque: DOH to buy Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines using its savings

The Department of Health (DOH) will use its savings to buy China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Monday. 

“Ang paggagamitan po nu'ng [savings], sa Sinovac na aangkatin natin. Kaunti lang [muna] ito, 50,000 doses muna ang babayaran,” Duque said during the Laging Handa briefing.

“Iyan ang sabi ng National Task Force [Against COVID-19]. Meron pong savings na puwedeng magamit para sa [pambili ng] bakuna, at tinitignan po natin iyong Sinovac para sa karagdagan o sa labas ng donated ng 600,000 [doses]. Diyan po gagamitin ‘yan,” Duque added.

He was referring to the 600,000 doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine donated to the Philippines by the Chinese government. 

Shortly after Duque’s disclosure, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it has issued emergency use authorization for Sinovac. 

FDA Director General Eric Domingo said Sinovac’s efficacy rate ranged from 65.3% to 91.2% among healthy people aged 18 to 59. 

Sinovac’s efficacy rate, however, only reached 50.4% among health care workers and as such, is not recommended for use on health care workers which is the highest priority group in the government’s national vaccination program. —KG, GMA News