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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 29) – Amid criticism, the Philippine Armed Forces want COVID-19 vaccine regulators to speed up the approval of vaccines “so there are no more issues” about their unauthorized inoculations before other priority groups.
Speaking to CNN Philippines’ The Source on Tuesday, AFP spokesman Major General Edgard Arevalo urged the country’s regulatory bodies to speed up their screening process and make the vaccine available to the public, including military personnel, whom he repeatedly described as front-line. “
“We hope that the other government agencies in charge of regulation will accelerate the so-called emergency use authorization so that there are no more problems regarding the administration of the vaccine because it is very essential and necessary.” especially to the members of the AFPs, who will be performing their duties on the front line, ”said Arévalo.
He added that the military is willing to follow the regulations, but “due to the nature of their duties and responsibilities,” regulators must “take the lead” in supplying vaccines to them.
“If it is necessary for us to fulfill our cutting-edge functions when vaccines are already available, hopefully the other government agencies that are in charge of regulation will be the ones to take the initiative and make the vaccine available to military personnel.” that he would face the front, “said Arevalo.
The military has recently come under fire after admitting that members of the Presidential Security Group were vaccinated against the virus. The FDA has not yet authorized the release of any COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines.
Uniformed personnel are supposed to rank fifth among other priority groups for vaccination, after healthcare workers, the elderly, the indigent elderly and the rest of the indigent population.
READ: AFP: Members of PSG were vaccinated first to ‘protect’ Duterte from COVID-19
Arevalo then defended PSG, noting that part of his job is to protect Duterte, the chief executive and his commander-in-chief. He also stressed that PSG should be recognized for taking the risks involved in receiving doses in advance.
“What we must look at is the recognition that we are given, which we must give to some members of PSG because they themselves are aware of the risks it entails. Be that as it may, in their duty to the President, they are willing to take the risk, “he noted.
The AFP spokesperson later clarified that only locked security and official escorts within PSG, led by BGen. Jesus During, received the doses. Those in charge of the legal side of the matter should simply discuss the matter further, he added.
Arevalo reiterated that he does not know the inoculation process, the type of vaccine received and how it was given to the PSG. Other senior officials and members of the AFPs, including him, have yet to receive the vaccine.
It was Duterte himself who revealed at a Cabinet meeting on Saturday that some soldiers received the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, which does not have regulatory approval to be distributed or administered in the Philippines.
The Interior Secretary, Eduardo Año, later stated in a radio interview on Monday that he knows some members of the PSG and even members of the Cabinet who received the unauthorized vaccine. The head of the Philippine army, Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, also confirmed in a separate radio interview that some military personnel have already been vaccinated, under Duterte’s orders.
LEE: Chief of the Army says vaccination of troops authorized by Duterte
FDA Director General Eric Domingo reiterated in a statement the agency’s warning against the use of unauthorized vaccines, saying their safety, quality and efficacy are not guaranteed.
Authorities within the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Health, and the FDA are responsible for ensuring that vaccine candidates meet good clinical standards and conduct testing in an ethical manner.
Aside from China’s Sinovac, which was reported to have an efficacy rate of 50%, vaccine czar Carlito Gálvez said the country’s current agreements are with the US corporation Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, which recorded an efficacy rate. of 95%, the British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca, the Gamaleya Institute of Russia. and Novavax from India.
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine has just been approved for its clinical trials in the Philippines as of Thursday, according to the FDA.
With smooth negotiations, the launch of qualified candidate vaccines can take place starting in the first quarter of 2021, authorities said.
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