MANILA – China-made Sinovac coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are “not low quality” and can give protection to those who were inoculated from the virus, the Malacañang said on Monday.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Sinovac, which was recently given an emergency use authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has been accepted under the standards of World Health Organization.
“It is a guarantee that ‘yung mga nabakunahan ay hindi po mamamatay dahil sa COVID-19, it is a guarantee na kung ikaw ay tamaan man, mild and asymptomatic ka lamang,” Roque said.
Despite securing an EUA from the FDA, experts said Sinovac’s vaccine efficacy rate is 50.4 percent and it is not fit for health workers that are always exposed to COVID-19 patients.
FDA also advised that the vaccine should not be inoculated to senior citizens and should only be administered to clinically healthy individuals aged 18 to 59 years old.
“Bakit naman hindi tatanggapin ang bakuna na magbibigay ng kasiguraduhan na hindi ka mamamatay dahil sa COVID-19? Baka masagasaan ka, mamatay ka sa gutom dahil sa lockdown pero at least hindi ka mamamatay dahil sa COVID-19,” said Roque.
“It’s better than no protection and as I said, ang iniiwasan natin ay ‘yung pagkakasakit na seryoso o di naman kaya ay yung nakamamatay,” he added.
FDA director general Eric Domingo, however, said Sinovac has 65 to 91 percent efficacy rate to community workers like construction workers and drivers, which has less exposure to COVID-19 patients.
“Kung pipili po tayo, akmang akma po sya sa mga kababayan nating mga working age na healthy, nagtratrabaho na hindi naman naggagamot ng COVID-19,” said Domingo. “Sa mga opisina, mga construction worker, mga driver, pwede po talaga yun.”/PN
