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The Philippine government expects the arrival of 600,000 doses of Sinovac Biotech vaccines before the end of February.
“We expect the vaccines to arrive before the end of the month on Sunday, as China promised to deliver the shipment in three to five days after the publication of an EUA (Emergency Use Authorization),” Palace spokesman Harry said. Roque Jr. during a press conference on Wednesday.
Sinovac General Manager Helen Yang said the vaccines assigned to the Philippines are ready for shipment.
“We just need to finish the paperwork with customs and then we can set the flight date,” Yang said.
Roque said there will be a ceremony that will be led by President Rodrigo Duterte during the delivery of the vaccines from China.
“The president said he wanted to personally welcome the arrival of the Sinovac vaccines,” he said.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Sinovac the US on Monday, but did not recommend its use in healthcare workers and the elderly.
However, FDA chief Eric Domingo said front-line physicians could still get Sinovac vaccines if they wanted.
“General Director Domingo clarified that it is not prohibited, but that it is simply not recommended for use by first-line doctors,” explained Roque.
First-line doctors who are willing to get vaccinated with Sinovac will continue to have priority.
Roque admitted that the president was “stumped” by the FDA’s evaluation of Sinovac.
Domingo said the vaccine had an efficacy rate of 50.4 in healthcare workers according to Sinovac’s clinical trials in Brazil, making it not the best option for front-line doctors against Covid-19.
Roque said Duterte followed the FDA recommendation.
Former Health Secretary Janette Garin said the FDA’s US concession to the Sinovac vaccine, while advising against its use in healthcare workers and the elderly, sends a “confusing” message to the public.
The Iloilo legislator asked the FDA to review its decision.
“The FDA should have considered the essence of the need for the vaccine, and that is preventing deaths. Sinovac has been shown to be just as effective in preventing deaths, 90 percent effective in reducing disease severity and 80 percent protective in reducing clinical disease, ”he said.
“If that’s the first vaccine to come to the Philippines, we should vaccinate our healthcare workers first,” he said in Filipino.
“Efficacy is just one component. Many factors must also be taken into account. Let’s first reduce the number of deaths and people hospitalized due to vaccination ”, he added.
Safe and effective
Yang responded for the efficacy and safety of the Sinovac vaccine.
“We’ve done trials in different regions, different large-scale locations, smaller scales, as well as launching vaccines in so many different countries.”
“I think the safety of the vaccine has really been ensured as we supply the vaccine and more and more people are using the products.”
“And regarding its efficacy, I think that even in this challenging study among healthcare workers in Brazil, the efficacy rate is still above 50 percent, which is the WHO standard (World Health Organization ), and this shows that the vaccine is effective and safe, ”Yang said.
She said a common side effect of the vaccine is muscle pain. No deaths have been reported in connection with its use.
The vaccine is being used in 12 countries, including Brazil, Turkey, Chile, Indonesia,
Thailand, Hong Kong, Mexico and Colombia.
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