Sotto urges care amid ‘misunderstood’ Sinovac vaccine statement

Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Tuesday advised health officials to be careful when making statements about COVID-19 vaccines.

This, after Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Dr. Eric Domingo said that the Sinovac vaccine, which has been given an emergency use authorization, is not recommended for health workers, only to issue a clarification later on.

During the deliberations of the measure establishing the COVID-19 vaccination program, Sotto offered Department of Health (DOH) officials some "unsolicited advice."

"When the officials in the Department of Health make statements, it's best that you clear it with the Secretary of Health. Kung minsan yung mga nasasabi natin, yung ibang bureau under the Department of Health ay hindi nakakatulong e. It is misunderstood, it is misinterpreted," he said.

"So it's best that if there are any pronouncements --- this is a very critical issue --- it should be the Secretary of Health that should make pronouncements. Medyo iwasan natin yung bitaw bitaw sa media ng mga salita na hindi nakakatulong sa kinalalagyan natin," he added.

In a message to reporters, Sotto confirmed that his advice was prompted by Domingo's clarification.

"Those kind of statements could be misinterpreted and misunderstood. The buck stops with the Secretary of Health," he said.

"Unless it is Secretary [Francisco] Duque who makes such announcements, the other officials should be very careful with their pronouncements," he added.

Domingo on Monday said that the FDA is not recommending that health workers be inoculated with the Sinovac vaccine due to its lower efficacy rate of 50.4% in the said group.

However, he clarified on Tuesday that health workers can still choose to get vaccinated with Sinovac since they merely made a recommendation on which groups it is not suited for.

“What we did was a recommendation… We don’t say that it’s not illegal or they’re not allowed to use it. We just say, if they’re gonna use it, they should know that the efficacy rate for health workers treating COVID-19 [patients] is at 50%,” he told ANC in an interview.

Lawmakers, including Senator Kiko Pangilinan and House Minority Leader Joseph Stephen Paduano, had questioned why the Sinovac shot was given regulatory approval when it is not recommended for health workers.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, urged the government to fast track the procurement of vaccines that can be used on health workers, the top priority in the government’s vaccination program. — DVM, GMA News