Slow FDA approval of COVID-19 vaccines may have spurred PSG inoculation – Sotto

MANILA, Philippines —  The slow approval process of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may have prompted the use of unauthorized COVID-19 vaccines by the Presidential Security Group (PSG), Senate President Vicente Sotto III said in an interview over AM radio station DWIZ on Saturday.

“It’s been a long time. It’s too slow. There have been so many instances like that and it’s become annoying,” Sotto said in Filipino when asked whether the slow approval made people so impatient they got vaccines on their own. “I’m not surprised. But, well, it’s hard to blame anyone. But okay, maybe someone will think of investigating that.”

As of now, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer — currently considered one of the best available — has not been granted an emergency use authorization.

Sotto also mentioned a recent controversy about the problems encountered in procuring Pfizer’s vaccines, wherein a government official — believed to be Health Secretary Francisco Duque III — was blamed for the botched deal.

“And then there’s this. What happened? Isn’t the DOH [Department of Health] blaming the DFA [Department of Foreign Affairs] and our ambassador to America for, as they said, moving slowly or did not do what it’s supposed to do so that we will be ahead [in getting the vaccine]?” Sotto said.

“Isn’t that being slow? Then they have the temerity to investigate those who got immunized by whoever,” he added.

Recently, Sotto said that he saw nothing wrong with the vaccination of some PSG personnel as there ss no existing law preventing the use of unauthorized vaccines.

While acknowledging that the slow FDA approval might be due to a desire to be extra careful,  Sotto said that it might result in a repeat of the previous scenario before the pandemic broke out: the health sector being late in taking precautions.

“We were very delayed… November, December, Vietnam already closed its borders. Anything from China was blocked in January. What happened here? In February, someone got in from China was turned out to be positive [for COVID-19]. What did the Department of Health do? Nothing, right? Not surprising,” Sotto said.

RELATED STORIES

TIMELINE: The scuttled COVID-19 vaccine deal with Pfizer

Duque ‘failed’ to submit documents needed for Pfizer vaccine deal – Lacson

Duque denies not acting quickly enough on Pfizer vaccine

[atm]