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MANILA, Philippines – While the initial results of Pfizer’s large-scale clinical trial of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate were encouraging, on Wednesday the Department of Health (DOH) sought to temper public expectations, advising people to continue to observe the preventive health measures, especially as the total number of coronavirus infections exceeded 400,000.
The Undersecretary of Health, María Rosario Vergeire, admitted that if the government purchases the Pfizer vaccine, storing it will be a challenge, since the country’s public hospitals and health centers do not have the super-cold storage units necessary to keep the vaccine at extremely low temperature.
And because President Duterte wants at least 20 percent of the population to be vaccinated, Vergeire said DOH could not plan vaccination only at hospitals and health centers.
“We will get to that point where we have to go to the communities to vaccinate. [With this vaccine], we can’t do that at all because the requirement is an ultra low freezer. That is one of our challenges, ”he said.
Other vaccines
Vergeire said the country’s panel of vaccine experts was also not currently considering lyophilizing the vaccine to override the ultra-low-temperature storage requirement.
But Dr. Anna Ong-Lim, president of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society of the Philippines, said that not all of the more than 150 vaccines in development had the same composition and requirements as those of the Pfizer vaccine.
“Hopefully, there will soon be a vaccine that is friendly to our conditions, that is as effective and available as soon as possible so that it is also an option for us,” said Lim, a member of the DOH technical advisory. group.
Vergeire said DOH was already in discussions with the private sector for possible partnerships, as well as studies to determine what would be the “most acceptable, appropriate, safe and effective vaccine” for Filipinos.
Due to the confidentiality disclosure agreement with Pfizer, Vergeire said the DOH could not yet reveal how many doses of the vaccine the government planned to buy or whether an order had been placed from the US pharmaceutical giant.
DOH is still working with the Office of the President to find a solution to the strict provision in the procurement law that prohibits payment for items that have not yet been delivered, Vergeire said.
“As we know, many of the manufacturers, the partners with whom we are negotiating require this payment in advance. It is currently studying whether it is possible to have a special exemption from this specific provision of the law due to this pandemic, “he said.
Following Pfizer’s announcement that initial results showed its candidate vaccine to be more than 90 percent effective, President Duterte said the virus that has killed about 1.3 million worldwide is “no longer scary.” .
‘Don’t let your guard down’
Although Vergeire agreed that the public should not be intimidated, he emphasized the need to “remain vigilant, cautious and aware” and continue to observe health measures aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.
“We have to moderate our expectations. It still has to be based on the reality that the virus is still here and we must observe our preventive measures, ”he said.
Eight months since the first local coronavirus case was recorded, the Philippines surpassed the 400,000 mark on Wednesday, recording 1,672 additional cases bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 401,416.
Cavite reported the highest number of new cases, 100, followed by Davao City (99), Quezon City (81), Batangas (78), and Baguio City (70).
The DOH said 311 more patients had recovered, bringing the total number of COVID-19 survivors to 362,217. The death toll, however, rose to 7,710 when 49 more patients succumbed to severe respiratory illness.
Recoveries and deaths left the country with 31,489 active cases, of which 83.3 percent were mild, 9.4 percent asymptomatic, 2.5 percent severe, and 4.6 percent critical.
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What you need to know about the coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
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