Roque: Deferring use of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine will put health workers at risk

Delaying the use of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine on health workers pending approval from the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) will put medical workers at risk, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

Roque was responding to the insistence of Vice President Leni Robredo for the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine to secure a positive recommendation from HTAC before being administered on health workers.

Robredo’s comment stemmed from the fact that the 600,000 doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines will be used on health workers since these are the only supply available so far.

“Mali na naman si Vice President Robredo, iyong sinasabi niya na dapat mag-antay ang mga medical frontliners ng HTAC, iyong Health Technical Assessment Committee recommendation para magpaturok. Eh hindi po kinakailangan iyan dahil pinasa na nga po ng Pangulo ang batas, recommendatory lang po ang HTAC,” Roque said.

“Siyempre po, ang importante mabigyan ng proteksiyon sa lalong mabilis na panahon ang ating mga medical frontliners. Kaya nga po ang ating vaccination program, number one ang mga medical frontliners kahit ano pang brand ng bakuna ang dumating. Hindi po dapat ipagsapalaran ang buhay ng ating mga medical frontliners sa panahon ng pandemya,” he added.

Robredo earlier said she will not oppose the use of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine, provided the vaccine does not get to bypass the process by not getting a positive recommendation from the HTAC.

The Vice President said her opposition to the use of Sinovac is not because it is made in China but because Sinovac was not required to get a recommendation from HTAC unlike Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued emergency use authorization to Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Sinovac. Of the three, only Sinovac has yet to get a positive recommendation from HTAC.

“Wala akong opposition against Sinovac. Hindi ito dahil ginawa ito sa China, o dahil 50% [lang ang efficacy rate sa health workers]. May medical experts naman na nagrereview. Kung sabihin nila na okay, good enough ‘yun para sa akin. Pero huwag naman i-short cut ang proseso,” Robredo told journalist Malou Mangahas in The Mangahas Interviews.

“Kung hiningi iyong positive recommendation ng HTAC sa Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca, bakit hindi magawa sa Sinovac? Obligasyon natin na bigyan ng added layer of protection ang ating mga kababayan,” Robredo added. — RSJ, GMA News