DOH assures public all COVID-19 vaccines at vaccination sites are authentic

Following the arrest of three individuals for alleged selling of COVID-19 vaccines last week, the Department of Health on Tuesday assured the public that all vaccines at vaccination sites are authentic.

"Itong bakuna na binigay ng national government, this is authentic at nagdaan sa masusing proseso. Meron ding mga EUA 'yan at certificate of analysis," DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an interview on Unang Balita.

(These vaccines given by the national government are authentic and have undergone strict process. These also have EUA [emergency use authorization] and certificate of analysis.)

The DOH official said all COVID-19 vaccines in the country were procured by or through the national government.

"Lahat ng pumapasok na bakuna sa ating bansa ay nagdadaan sa national government. We are very strict on that because of its EUA; it could not be commercially available yet," Vergeire said.

The DOH official then urged the public to patronize the vaccines at vaccination sites to avoid having possibly fake or smuggled ones.

"Ang kailangan lang po, ang ating mga kababayan ay tangkilikin ang mga bakuna na binibigay ng ating government through our official vaccination sites," she said. 

(What our countrymen need to do is to patronize the vaccines given by the government at official vaccination sites.)

Three individuals were arrested last week for the alleged selling of COVID-19 vaccines.

The National Bureau of Investigation Task Force Against Illegal Drugs identified the suspects as Kour Singh, Calvin Roca, and Alexis de Guzman, a registered nurse in a hospital in Manila.

The three suspects were arrested in an operation on Wednesday, while another suspect is still at large.

Seized from the suspects was an icebox with 300 doses of Sinovac's CoronaVac.

The NBI said the suspects usually sell the vaccines to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators workers.

Meanwhile, a director of a Manila hospital said the Sinovac vaccines being illegally sold are believed to be fake or smuggled due to counterfeit batch numbers in the vials.

Vergeire confirmed that they traced the vials and batches of the vaccines to verify where the confiscated ones came from.

The NBI and the City of Manila are already investigating the matter, she said. —KG, GMA News