Lacson: Gov’t must have adjusted vax procurement to consider public’s brand choice

FILE PHOTO: Senator Panfilo Lacson —Photo from Senate

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday said the government should have already considered in its procurement the public’s vaccine brand preference, as he pointed out that certain problems still hound the vaccination campaign against COVID-19.

According to Lacson, his recent talks with local government units outside of Metro Manila showed that people refuse to get vaccinated as they opted to wait for their vaccine brand of choice to become available.

This issue among the public, he noted, could be one of the reasons why the government’s vaccine rollout remains slow.

“Dahil nga maraming nag-aalinlangan sa bakuna, parang hindi masyadong acceptable ‘yong mga nakakausap namin na mga local government officials, ‘yong constituents nila nandyan na ‘yong bakuna, ayaw magpabakuna at naghihintay ng ibang brand,” the presidential aspirant said in an interview over DZRJ.

(Because many hesitate to get their vaccines, it seems that it is not acceptable for some, according to our talks with local government officials, their constituents would rather not get vaccinated and wait for another brand.)

“So dapat nag-aadjust ‘yong ating mga authorities na ‘pag nagpo-procure ng bakuna eh pag-aralan ‘yong — parang this is a continuing study at saka data analysis.  Ang problema kasi hindi naging data-driven ‘yong ating efforts, kaya tayo napag-iwanan eh,” he added.

(So our authorities should have already adjusted their procurement of vaccines because this should be a continuing study and data analysis. The problem is that we did not use a data-driven approach in our efforts, that’s why we are being left behind.)

Lacson did not specify which vaccine brand people usually prefer but he pointed out that the government has apparently preferred one brand — procuring around 44 million doses — despite other brands having a higher efficacy rate.

He did not identify the brand that the government seemed to always purchase, but as of October 29, the Philippine government was able to obtain 44.5 million doses of the China-made CoronaVac. Of the 44.5 million doses of CoronaVac, some 42.5 million doses were procured by the government. The remaining CoronaVac doses were donated by the Chinese government.

CoronaVac is the coronavirus shot developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech. It has been assailed in the past for allegedly having a low efficacy rating compared to its Western brand counterparts.

“Tinatanong namin bakit ang bagal ng ating pag-procure ng vaccines. Eh nag-focus do’n sa isang brand ng vaccines, umabot na tayo sa 44 million na doses na nakarating kumpara do’n sa mga iba na sabihin na nating mas malakas ‘yong efficacy,” Lacson said.

(We were asking why our vaccine procurement is so slow. It’s because they focused on one brand of vaccines, we have already received 44 million doses compared to other brands that, let’s say  have stronger efficacy.)

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He also clarified that Metro Manila’s 80 percent vaccination rate does not mean that 80 percent of the region’s total population has been vaccinated against COVID-19. He stressed that the 80 percent rate only refers to 80 percent of the required 70 percent of the region’s total population in order to achieve herd immunity.

“Eh sinasabi nila Metro Manila, 80 percent na raw ‘yong nabakunahan, pero ‘yong sinasabi nating 80 percent, 80 percent ‘yon ng herd immunity na 70 percent,” he explained.

(They are saying that in Metro Manila, 80 percent have been vaccinated, but this 80 percent is actually just the 80 percent of the required for herd immunity, which is 70 percent.)

“So hindi talaga ganoon kalaki but nevertheless it’s an accomplishment.  Pero kapag lumabas tayo ng Metro Manila, alam mo ba ‘yong vaccination rate kung ilan na ang nabakunahan?  Nasa 26.6 percent pa lamang,” he added.  “So ‘yon ang problema sa countryside, sa malalayong lugar.”

(So it’s not that big but nevertheless it’s an accomplishment. But when we leave Metro Manila, do you know that the country’s vaccination rate is just low, at just 26.6 percent?  So that’s the problem over the countryside, in far-flung areas.)

Vaccination has ramped up in Metro Manila, resulting in the easing of quarantine restrictions in the nation’s capital region and nearby provinces. But provincial officials have complained of a slow inoculation rollout, primarily due to logistical problems.

As of Monday, the country still has 43,185 active COVID-19 infections, including 3,117 new cases.  However, the daily increase in cases and the active case count itself are far from the numbers seen in August and September, when the dreaded Delta variant caused a surge in the country.

KGA