No LGU announcement but individuals will be informed of COVID-19 vaccine brand on site, Año says

Individuals who intend to be inoculated against COVID-19 will be informed of the brand on the vaccination site, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Thursday.

In a statement, DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said local government units (LGUs) are no longer allowed to make advance announcements of the brand that will be used.

Año issued the directive to LGUs upon the recommendation of the Department of Health. He assured the public that all vaccines "have gone through a stringent approval process and are therefore safe and efficacious."

“The best vaccine is the one that is available; therefore in order to overcome brand preference, LGUs should not announce the brand of vaccine to be used in vaccination centers,” he said.

An advisory will later be issued by the DILG to all LGUs.

“The person will be informed of the brand in the vaccination center and he will have to give his informed consent but if he refuses, he will have to go back to the back of the line,” he said.

Año stressed that the individual’s right to information is still fully respected. According to him, the government is just taking this step to prevent a repeat of mass gatherings and long lines that occurred when brands are announced beforehand.

"We need to educate the people in order to overcome brand preference. All FDA-approved vaccines are just Emergency Use Authorization. They are all similarly situated," Año said.

"Our health experts have repeatedly said that there is none that is more effective than the other. All of them prevent hospitalization or critical illness from Covid. That is what is important,” he added.

Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje has said the strategy is expected to prevent a repeat of long queues for Pfizer vaccines at vaccination sites in Parañaque City and Manila earlier this week.

This move also aims to speed up the vaccine rollout, according to Cabotaje.

The DILG chief called on the public to support the government’s vaccination program because it is the duty of everyone to protect themselves, their family, and their country by being vaccinated. --KBK, GMA News