Duterte orders to start virus shots in March

MANILA: President Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte ordered the start of the nationwide inoculation programme first week of March with the projected arrival of COVID-19 vaccines, the first being the 600,000 doses donated by China, his long-time aide reported on Sunday.

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go explained Duterte wanted to hasten the rollout of the vaccines particularly those on top of the priority list like medical frontliners such as doctors and nurses and senior citizens.

“The president ordered the start of the programme first week of March especially those included in the priority list so we can return to our normal way of life,” Go told media in Filipino.

Go added that with the confirmed arrival of the vaccines, parts of the shipment could be sent to the Visayas and Mindanao where the hospitals and other health facilities designated to give the COVID-19 shots have been prepared to do so.

Earlier, Malacanang Palace announced that Duterte would lead top government officials in welcoming the arrival of the Coronavac vaccine, made by China’s drug manufacturer Sinovac, which were donated by Beijing, at at Philippine Air Force base in suburban Pasay City, Metro Manila late on Sunday aternoon.

Aside from Sinovac, Go also disclosed the expected arrival on Monday of 520,000 doses from UK’S Astrazeneca from the COVAX facility of the World Health organisation (WHO) which will give frontliners options on which vaccines they prefer.

Go’s disclosure coincided with the statement of an association of doctors at the state-run Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila that Sinovac must first undergo appraisal before it is administered to frontline healthcare workers.

The group made known their stand ater Dr. Eric Domingo, the chief of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), first said the Sinovac product could not be be given to the medical frontliners and seniors citizens citing its low efficacy of 50 per cent based on findings from Brazil.

But the Department of Health ( DOH) later reversed the FDA decision and announced the Sinovac vaccine shots could be administered to frontliners and the elderly Filipinos.

The doctors said the Sinovac vaccine must be evaluated by the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) which, they expected to “formulate recommendations with judicious haste.”

“As the national university hospital, PGH should set an example on how vaccination rollout should be executed in the country,” the statement read.

“PGH should uphold the ideals of ethical and evidence-based medicine (of) which it has been a bastion.”