While the Philippines contemplates the purchase of vaccines, the government must determine who receives it first

MANILA (TO UPDATE) The Philippines is prioritizing certain sectors to receive the initial batch of free COVID-19 vaccines as it aims to expand vaccine coverage to about half of the country’s population, the Health Department said on Friday.

DOH now expects to vaccinate between 50 and 60 percent of the population from the original 20 percent plan. The Undersecretary of Health, María Rosario Vergeire, said that the government plans to prioritize certain sectors before reaching all the expanded coverage.

“We are still working on that. The president has given the priorities that were discussed with the Secretary of Health and our vaccine czar. We will finalize our prioritization over the weekend,” he told ANC Headstart.

“We will first prioritize specific populations and then we can implement it and hopefully we can achieve this 60 percent of the population,” he said.

Since herd immunity may only be possible with around 50 to 60 percent of the vaccinated population, Vergeire said the public must continue to observe minimum health standards to stop transmission of the virus.

The department will also ensure transparency in its COVID-19 vaccination program as lawmakers seek additional funding for it, he said.

Vergeire said that the increase in the budget allocation to purchase the vaccines will depend on which vaccine is chosen.

Senator Ralph Recto is the latest lawmaker to propose a larger budget for COVID-19 vaccination, which is currently set at P8 billion. He suggested that 20,000 million pesetas be allocated for the delivery of the vaccine and that another 20,000 million be placed as unscheduled allocations.

“We are in a pandemic and everyone’s lives are at stake. The government is trying to ensure that whatever money we put into this basket for the vaccine and whatever response we have for COVID-19 is used diligently, used appropriately. and that corruption will not be there, “he said when asked about the unscheduled budget.

Vergeire also noted that the Philippines will partner with multilateral organizations, such as the Asian Development Bank, so that the country is not only financing necessary technologies.

“We would like to be as transparent as possible so that people know that we are going to use this money and that the right technology will be used for the benefit of all,” he said.

US-based drug maker Pfizer said the COVID-19 vaccine it developed with its German partner BioNTech SE showed 95% efficacy in the final results of the late stage of the trial. Moderna Inc.’s experimental drug also showed roughly the same rate of effectiveness.

However, storage and delivery are now a concern as the drug produced by Pfizer must be kept at -70 degrees Celsius for long-term storage, while Moderna’s version must remain at -20 degrees Celsius if it is kept. for 60 days and 2 to 8 degrees. for 30 days.

Vergeire said the vaccines are “still in development” and DOH is still awaiting the results of the trials, specifically information on “how long the antibodies will last when vaccinated with this type of vaccine.”

For vaccines to be used in the Philippines, they must first be evaluated by a panel of experts, then an ethics board, and then the Food and Drug Administration.