Senators: 50% Sinovac effectiveness unacceptable
Paolo Romero (The Philippine Star) – December 26, 2020 – 12:00 am
MANILA, Philippines – Senators warned the government yesterday against the risk to the lives of Filipinos and the purchase of China’s Sinovac vaccine, saying it is not only expensive compared to other brands, but also 50% effective.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, in separate statements, expressed alarm over reports that Sinovac studies in Brazil showed that the Chinese-made vaccine was only 50 percent effective. Its manufacturer, Sinovac Biotech Ltd., has so far kept data on its studies.
They mentioned that the Pfizer vaccine has a high efficacy rate of 95%, but has strict cold storage requirements, while the AstraZeneca serum has an efficiency of at least 75%, but with more compliant storage standards.
Zubiri said the country’s search for COVID-19 vaccines must take into account key factors, including safety, efficacy, prices and ease of distribution and implementation.
“All of these factors need to be harmonized to ensure that we deliver cost-effective vaccine to our people, but that it is effective and deliverable. When we say efficient, it means a high rate of effectiveness “, said Zubiri.
Therefore, the plan to obtain vaccines with an efficacy rate of only 50% is totally unacceptable and a total waste of funds and resources. The fact that there is a 50/50 chance of getting COVID even after you have been vaccinated is a joke! He added.
To underscore his view, Zubiri said a 50 percent effectiveness could mean that one in two Filipinos with synovac would still be infected with COVID-19, which would be dangerous for the elderly, front lines and those with comorbidities.
He called on the National Task Force for COVID-19 to look at the effectiveness of candidate vaccines “rather than political or geo-political reasons”.
“The safety of our people should come first, not the feelings of neighboring friends,” Zubiri said.
Drilon said that while there is a great urgency in procuring vaccines and the government is trying to find a balance between different key factors, safety and efficacy should be the first and foremost consideration, otherwise there is a risk that people will refuse vaccinations. out of fear.
“We are talking about the lives and future of Filipinos here. “We can’t accept” this will do it “when it comes to vaccines,” Drilon said in Filipino.
He said the Tsar’s secretary for vaccines, Carlito Galvez, must carefully analyze reports on the Chinese vaccine and wait for clearer guidance from the scientific community and other licensing agencies to determine whether or not Sinovac is “worth offering to our people.” .
It is very important, he said, for the government to start a vaccination program starting in 2021, with the best possible combination of vaccines it can get.
“There is a global shortage of vaccines and we should focus on vaccinating our priority segments,” Drilon said.
Immunity from the herd will require a multi-year vaccination program, and over time, the country may seek to inoculate 60 to 90 percent of the population.
“But our short-term priority should be to vaccinate frontliners and the highest-risk population, which is the top 20 percent,” Drilon said.
Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines (PAL) is preparing its fleet to help transport COVID-19 vaccines to and from the country.
“The long-awaited global launch of the COVID-19 vaccine contributes to the cautious optimism of the tourism and tourism sectors in the Philippines. PAL is preparing its fleet of large-scale aircraft for the task of transporting vaccines to the Philippines and around the region, ”he said.
President Castelo, Quezon City’s second district, has previously called on the government to operate local airlines to transport and deliver COVID-19 vaccines in and around the country. – Richmond Mercury