Philippines last in ASEAN to get COVID-19 shots? ‘I don't think so,’ says Roque

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque does not believe the Philippines is reportedly the last among countries in the ASEAN region to receive a vaccine against COVID-19.

At a press briefing on Thursday, Roque said the gap in the dates of delivery of COVID-19 vaccines between the Philippines and other ASEAN countries is only a "matter of days."

"Walang ibig sabihin yan. Halos sabay-sabay dumating sa atin, at halos pare-parehas ang dumating sa atin na Sinovac," he said.

"I don't think we're the last. They are only 10 countries that have used the vaccine. So that disproves the fact that we are the last. The rest of the world still have to receive their vaccine," he added.

Roque announced in the same hearing that the Philippines will be receiving the donated 600,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by China's Sinovac on Sunday.

Asked how come the vaccines will suddenly be arriving after days of uncertainty, Roque said: "I guess all our prayers were answered, and I have gotten information that we are ready to receive the Sinovac vaccine this Sunday."

He said that if the country insisted on getting Western brands first, it would take a longer time before any vaccine will arrive in the country.

"Kaya nga ang ating sinasabi, basta aprubado ng ating FDA, tanggapin natin yan na ligtas at epektibo. Talagang nag-uunahan ang buong daigdig para sa mga Western brands," he said.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier granted emergency use authorization for Sinovac’s vaccine, the third one after vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

FDA director general Dr. Eric Domingo on Monday said Sinovac’s efficacy ranged from 65.3% to 91.2% but only reached 50.4% among health workers with COVID-19 exposure.

This makes it not recommended for health workers, he added.

"This should be administered by vaccination providers and to prevent COVID-19 in clinically healthy individuals aged 18 to 59 years old," Domingo had said.

However, Domingo 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. — RSJ, GMA News