DOH open to reviewing COVID-19 vaccination ‘brand agnostic’ policy

COVID-19 vaccination at the Makati Coliseum (Image from Facebook / MyMakati)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) is open to reviewing the COVID-19 vaccination “brand agnostic” policy where local government units (LGUs) will no longer announce in advance the brand of COVID-19 vaccine to be administered.

“Yes. We have been in talks with our local government units especially in Metro Manila. Yes, why don’t we try this and look at what is going to happen?” Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel on Friday when asked if the DOH is open to reviewing the policy.

Cabotaje said there will also be some “limiting factors” as to the non-announcement of vaccine brands that will be used in inoculation centers.

“For instance, we can only give A1, A2, A3, and A5 later on for the COVAX-donated vaccines. This is Pfizer and AstraZeneca. So if you are A4, when we open the A4, you will know that you will only be getting Sinovac and Gamaleya,” she explained.

“There will be some limitation. You will know what vaccine you will be getting in a way. So it will be a toss between the two that will be available,” she added.

Cabotaje also said that the public will have an idea of which vaccine brand they will most likely receive based on the distribution framework of the national government.

“If you see the pattern of our vaccine distribution, they are not coming all at the same time so the people have an idea what vaccine will most likely be available in the health center,” she said.

The health official reiterated that the policy will not take away the people’s right to information as they will still be informed of the vaccine they will receive at the site of inoculation and will also need to sign an informed consent as part of the process for vaccination.

The DOH previously suggested this new policy after large crowds turned up in vaccination centers in Manila and Parañaque earlier this week after local officials announced the a more preferred brand will be administered.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) later adopted this recommendation, with Interior Secretary Eduardo Año saying that the directive was issued to make people overcome their preference for certain brands.

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