[ad_1]
MANILA, Philippines – The priority list for COVID-19 inoculation should be maintained even if the private sector is allowed to import vaccines, a Department of Health (DOH) adviser said Tuesday night.
In an interview with “The Chiefs” on Cignal TV’s One News and TV5, Dr. Anna Ong-Lim, a member of the DOH Technical Advisory Group (TAG), said that the importation of vaccines by the private sector does not change the fact that those on the priority list deserve to be inoculated first.
“We want the priority list to be followed. And this is not just because we want to protect certain groups, ”Lim said.
Healthcare workers (HT) and the elderly have been classified as the first and second priority groups for inoculation because they are the most vulnerable to the virus, he added.
Lim noted that “the main goal of the vaccination program is to achieve the goal efficiently” and this is to prevent severe COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Another issue to be resolved is that COVID-19 vaccines are available only through the Emergency Use Authorization (USA) issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
According to the USA, only the national government can purchase the vaccines. If the private sector wants to import, it has to work with the national government through a tripartite agreement.
“Otherwise, the US does not extend to them (private sector) and the reason we want to do that … is precisely because these vaccines are not licensed and we need the responsibility to belong to a particular group, so if there are problems, the consumer is not left unprotected, “he said.
The expert also noted that since there is a global shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, the private sector, “even if it has its own funding,” will only receive vaccines from a group of sources, along with the national government.
Customs must be strict
Yesterday, the Customs Office (BOC) specified its rule for the importation of COVID-19 vaccines by the private sector: no relevant FDA and DOH documents, no shipping authorization.
Even with President Duterte’s pronouncement that the government will facilitate private sector efforts to purchase COVID-19 vaccines, the BOC said it is already coordinating with the FDA and DOH for the smooth dispatch and release of shipments.
“We cannot do anything about it. My decision is that I ordered the secretary (of the vaccine czar) (Carlito) Gálvez to sign each and every one of the documents that would allow the private sector to import at will, ”Duterte said recently.
The documents required for COVID-19 vaccine shipments are the EUA, DOH clearance, import documents such as airway bill, invoice, Department of Finance (DOF) exemption and others necessary to comply with import entry for customs clearance.
For its part, the Customs office of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (BOC-NAIA) said that a single window (OSS) has been created to expedite the authorizations and processing of COVID-19 vaccines imported by private sector entities.
However, BOC-NAIA district collector Mimel Talusan said: “We will be very strict with the importation of COVID-19 vaccines by the private sector, we will need full documentation.”
Earlier, BOC Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero assured the public that the office will continue to streamline the processing and release of COVID-19 vaccines and related shipments to help fight the rapid rise in infections in the country.
ECQ extension
Meanwhile, Lim backed the DOH’s recommendation to extend the one-week Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) that is rolling out in the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus bubble for another week.
“We really don’t expect the number of cases to change significantly until two weeks later due to the restrictions,” he told The Chiefs.
Lim said this is because it takes two weeks “in terms of infection and disease presentation.”
“Realistically, the interventions that we are doing now at the end of March will probably be seen in mid-April,” he added.
[ad_2]
