BY MATÉ ESPINA
ACCEPTABILITY to get inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines has increased a bit according to City Administrator and head of the Emergency Operations Center, Em Ang.
However, the same does not hold true for China-made Sinovac vaccines of which 3,200 vials arrived yesterday, intended for medical frontliners at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) and the Riverside Medical Center (RMC).
The two hospitals were in the priority list of the Department of Health for having the most number of COVID-19 patients treated.
According to Ang, there are 1,642 medical workers in CLMMRH and 1,493 in Riverside who are scheduled for inoculation over the weekend. However, they expect the number to decrease because the survey conducted among the health workers was based on the premise that they were getting Astra Zeneca vaccines.
“The first surveys conducted by the two hospitals were on the assumption that AstraZeneca vaccines would be used and above 50 percent of their staff agreed to be vaccinated,” Ang said.
There is low acceptability for Chinese-made vaccines and both the news and social media implies it’s due to the lack of transparency for clinical trials made using the vaccines and its efficacy rate which is lower than other vaccines in the market.
There have been protests among medical frontliners nationwide following the earlier statement of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that it does not recommend Sinovac to healthcare workers and senior citizens.
FDA also said the vaccine is good for regular workers such as those in construction and drivers aged 18-59 with an efficacy rate of 65 to 91 percent. Hmmm. The discrepancy in its efficacy rate is quite wide but still acceptable based on the World Health Organization’s recommendation that any vaccine with over 50 percent efficacy rate is okay for use.
As US COVID chief adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci would say, “Any vaccine is better than no vaccine at all.”
But DOH has approved the use of Sinovac (do they even have a choice?) even when they initially also stated that given the low efficacy rate in specific group, the vaccine may not yield the most ideal results. So, if you are a healthcare worker, it is understandable to decline the first group of vaccines that were sent here.
CLMMRH and RMC both said that they will conduct a new survey regarding Sinovac and those who will be vaccinated will have to sign waivers.
However, presidents of the medical societies here have volunteered to be among the first to be inoculated, most probably to gather support and confidence from the medical health workers that it’s okay to be vaccinated – even with Sinovac.
Dr. Michael Salvador, president of the Philippine College of Physicians, Negros Occidental chapter and Dr. Mike Sarabia, president of the Negros Occidental Medical Society and Dr. Hector Gayares, a member of the Bacolod vaccination council will be first in line for vaccination.
I know Michael. I have been his patient whenever his mom, Tita Cecille Salvador who is our primary physician is not available. Both Mike and Hector are also family friends and fellow Rotarians.
What is worrisome is when health workers decline the use of Sinovac, this might send a wrong signal to the populace who have no choice as the national government has given preferential treatment to this vaccine. With acceptability rate nationwide at a low of 17 percent, refusing Sinovac may become a headache for our government.
Ang said however that no vaccines will go to waste as they have substitutes in their list in case those in the priority list would not want to take Sinovac.
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Gov. Bong Lacson is set to appeal to the national government to also include provincial health workers in their priority list. He also urged health workers to get vaccinated even with Sinovac if that is the only vaccine available.
“It is better to be vaccinated that just wear face masks and shields,” the governor said, stressing of course that beyond vaccination, minimum health standards must still be followed.
Gov. Bong even said that he is willing to be inoculated with Sinovac to allay fears among the public. However, given that he is 61-years old already, he is not qualified to take the vaccine.
I really do not know the process of DOH in determining who gets what vaccine because in an announcement, there are 34 hospitals in the country, 32 of which are in Metro Manila and one each in Cebu and Davao who are set to get the Pfizer vaccine which of course has among the highest efficacy rate of 95 percent. Of course no one knows yet when these vaccines will get arrive here in our country.
Bacolod and Negros Occidental both signed up for the purchase of AstraZeneca vaccines. Some donated vaccines arrived in the country the other day but it is not known yet where these will be given.
My sister, May, is a doctor at the CLMMRH and has various comorbidities including a previous heart surgery. I guess she will be among those who will not opt for the Sinovac vaccine./PN
