MANILA, Philippines — Observing that many Filipinos are not getting the most effective COVID-19 vaccines, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon urged vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. to “put aside his personal preferences” and prioritize deals on high-effectiveness vaccinations.
“When it comes to the life of millions of Filipinos and the future of the country, there should be no price tag. We can buy the most expensive vaccines with high efficacy,” Drilon said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We should not short-change our taxpayers. But we are a fool to buy more expensive vaccines with doubtful efficacy,” the senator added.
“Kapag buhay ng Pilipino ang nakasalalay, hindi pwede ang ‘pwede na.’ We need to buy the most effective vaccines,” he added.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. KARL ALONZO/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
(When the lives of Filipinos are at stake, we cannot have ‘good enough.’ We need to buy the most effective vaccines.)
The minority leader said Galvez “should open his eyes and set aside his personal preference, or that of the administration, for Chinese-made vaccine Sinovac” as the country can now access other vaccine brands.
“It is about time for Sec. Galvez to look at this objectively and listen to health experts. I have not heard any doctor or any member of the medical profession that recommends Sinovac over Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZeneca. Bring me one, Sec. Galvez, aside from Health Secretary Francisco Duque III,” Drilon said.
Galvez has not responded to INQUIRER.net’s request for comment on Drilon’s statement as of this writing.
A senator cited reports on Indonesia, a country that uses Sinovac’s jab as its main vaccine, where it was reported that relatively high rates of vaccination recipients, particularly healthcare workers, contracted COVID-19 despite receiving the Chinese vaccine.
READ: Hundreds of vaccinated Indonesian health workers get COVID-19, dozens in hospital
He went on to say that stories like these about the China-made vaccines “do not augur well for a country that has high vaccine hesitancy.”
“That is very alarming because as it appears now, Sinovac is the vaccine of choice by the government. We want to prevent the situation that is happening now in Indonesia. We are not promoting any brand. What we are saying is, Filipinos deserve the best vaccine, especially frontline doctors and nurses who are exposed to the virus,” Drilon said.
Even though the senator understands that doses of Sinovac’s vaccine were immediately available in the Philippines, he said that it was only the government’s fault when negotiations with other brands didn’t immediately translate into agreements.
Drilon, however, suggested that the government develop a policy for prioritizing the purchase and distribution of vaccines with high levels of efficacy since there are now more and better vaccines available for the country.
The validity of Pfizer vaccines is 95 percent, while Sinovac’s efficacy has been reported at between 65 and 91 percent based on clinical trials in Brazil, the senator noted.
READ: What’s behind varying efficacy data for Sinovac’s COVID vaccine?
He added that Pfizer is also “quite lower” than Sinovac, known to be “less effective than the other brands.”
“That’s basic logic: why choose a vaccine that is less effective yet more expensive over a vaccine that is more effective but less expensive?” Drilon then asked.
The government recently purchased 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, its largest vaccine supply deal to date. Meanwhile, it ordered a total of 25 million doses of Sinovac’s vaccine.
READ: PH seals deal for 40 million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
The Philippines has so far received 12 million doses of Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine, including one million doses donated by the Chinese government.
At least 32 countries, including the Philippines, have so far approved Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, according to the COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker.
Faith Yuen Wei Ragasa, trainee
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