The first delivery of 50,000 doses of Sinovac’s Covid-19 vaccine will be arriving in mid-February. The Philippines follows Indonesia as among the first countries outside China to approve the use of the vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical firm. File photo shows an Indonesia woman being administered the vaccine.
By Tracy Cabrera
MANILA — Answering queries why government is allegedly purchasing the more expensive and less effective vaccine, Malacañang replied that the anti-Covid19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac is “the only option for Filipinos” until June.
According to presidential spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque, “when (Sinovac’s) vaccine arrives from February to June, there is no other choice because only one vaccine will be available—and it’s the one from China.”
“So pagdating po doon sa, uulitin ko po ha, sa Pebrero hanggang Hunyo, wala po talagang pagpipilian. Kaya nga po kung ayaw ninyo ng Sinovac, well, hindi kayo pipilitin,” Roque added in the vernacular.
The Palace official pointed this out after telling the public to refrain from being “picky” in terms of their vaccine preference.
Health officials said that government has already secured 25 million doses of Sinovac’s vaccine, 50,000 of which will arrive by next month.
Health undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire also assured the safety of all vaccines that would obtain emergency use authorization from the local Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Pare-pareho na po sila na sinasabi ng ating FDA na sila ay magiging ligtas at sila ay magiging effective or efficacious for the individual,” Vergeire said in a virtual briefing.
“Kaya hindi po natin kailangan na mamili po tayo ng bakuna. Kung ano po iyong mauunang bakuna, atin pong tanggapin iyan,” she stressed. (AI/MTVN)
