MANILA, Philippines — The government will still consider the safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of a vaccine against COVID-19 when procuring them, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire assured.
“Kapag tayo ay bumibili ng bakuna, unang una na diyan ang issue ng safety, efficacy, at saka effectiveness nung bakuna,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online media forum.
Vergeire made the statement in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement that the government would opt to buy a less expensive vaccine for COVID-19 regardless of its country of origin.
She said vaccines must go through the local regulatory agencies before these are procured by the government.
The vaccine would have to be cleared and studied by the country’s vaccine experts panel and approved by and registered with the Food and Drug Administration.
It should also be listed in the Philippine National Drug Formulary and Health Technology Assessment Council.
Moreover, the vaccine should be pre-qualified by the World Health Organization to ensure its safety and efficacy.
“Hindi lang sa presyo [ang batayan] but of course ‘yung presyo would always matter,” Vergeire said.
“Kung yan ‘yung pinakamura at nakita naman natin na safe siya at efficacious, ‘yan yung bibilhin ng gobyerno because that is the objective naman pa nag-pro-procure ang gobyerno,” she added.
As of September 8, the nationwide COVID-19 count reached 241,987, of which 52,893 are considered “active cases.”
Total recoveries nationwide are at 185,178 while the death toll hit 3,916.