There are words better left unsaid

VACCINE czar

Carlito

Galvez

Jr. has issued a call to rich nations not to hoard Covid-19 vaccines.

In his online message to the special ministerial meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council on Friday, Galvez said the hoarding of vaccines by First World countries run “contrary to solidarities reached multilaterally that emphasize the importance of collective action.”

“If we renege on our commitments and if we do not include our most vulnerable sectors in our responses, we also risk failing an inclusive postpandemic recovery that leaves no one behind,” Galvez said.

As early as July last year, Foreign Secretary Teodoro “Teddyboy” Locsin and Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez had been facilitating a deal for Pfizer to ship 10 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine to the Philippines, according to Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

However, the deal didn’t push through for one reason or another. Specifically, the manufacturer wanted protection from any liabilities that might arise from possible adverse reactions to its vaccine.

As early as August last year, China was offering the Philippines preferential treatment in the purchase of Sinopharm vaccines.

The purchase of Sinopharm vaccines would have been done on a government-to-government basis. In the end, China withdrew the offer. The reason China gave for scrapping the offer was that there was a supply shortage of Sinopharm vaccines and that its citizens would be given priority.

To appease the Philippines, China has donated and then sold to us the Sinovac vaccine, which many consider inferior to Sinopharm.

Sinovac is manufactured by a private company.

During my personal visit to Malacañang several weeks ago, President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte told me he wanted to be injected with the Sinopharm vaccine, as well as members of his family.

I had Digong talk with a local Sinopharm representative over the phone and the President repeated his request to be injected with the Sinopharm vaccine.

The President’s warning that the country should expect more Covid-19 deaths was not reassuring, to say the least.

Digong made the dire prediction in his nationwide address on TV last week.

He said there was no sufficient supply of vaccines to inoculate the world and that Filipinos should expect more deaths in the coming days.

“Sabihin ko sa iyo, marami pang mamamatay dito. Hindi ko lang maturo kung sino (I’m telling you, many more will die here. I just can’t say who),” the President said.

There are words better left unsaid. Many people wonder whether the President was joking when he made that statement.

As his friend, I could only shake my head in disbelief that night.

Many of my friends and acquaintances and their relatives have died or are dying in some hospitals from Covid-19.

A friend called me asking for my help for the remains of his sister and brother-in-law to be taken out of the Marikina Doctors’ Hospital after they died from the virus.

My friend, who was broke, said the hospital refused to give him the bodies until he paid for the hospital bill.

I called Dante Gierran, president of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and asked him for help on my friend’s behalf.

Gierran said PhilHealth would shoulder most of the hospital bill.

Thank you, Dante Gierran, for being a blessing in these trying times.