Sinovac jabs arrive February 23; slight delay for Pfizer

MANILA, Philippines — The Sinovac Biotech Ltd. coronavirus vaccines donated by Beijing will arrive on Feb. 23 even if there is still no emergency use authority (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. yesterday told the Senate committee on finance.

The arrival of the COVAX Facility vaccines Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca may be slightly delayed, Galvez said during the hearing on the effort to expedite the purchase and administration of vaccines.

“Considering that there are requirements… the agreement of indemnity clause, it will be quite delayed by the third week of February. But definitely, it will be in February,” Galvez said when asked by Sen. Francis Pangilinan on the new dates of vaccine rollout.

Sinovac is not a part of the COVAX Facility, a global risk-sharing mechanism for pooled procurement and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines led by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, the World Health Organization, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, among others.

Galvez said some 600,000 Sinovac Biotech Ltd. coronavirus vaccine doses will arrive this month.

“The arrival of the Sinovac might be at the definite date of Feb. 23 because they will include donations for the military and for our health workers,” the vaccine czar added.

The finance committee chaired by Sen. Sonny Angara tackled Senate Bill 2042 or Expediting the Purchase and Administration of Vaccines amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Galvez pointed out that the delivery of vaccines is affected by different factors including the approval of EUA as well as supplies.

Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto said a vaccine should not be demonized because of where it was manufactured.

“We should not demonize a vaccine because of its country of origin. Let science be the guide, not superstition,” Recto said. “If our scientists from UP (University of the Philippines) and the FDA will say after a thorough evaluation that it is good, then who are we to doubt their findings? Science is the light that will lead us out of pandemic darkness.”

“Knee-jerk reaction against anything made in China does not help in the fight against Covid-19. And any doubt on any vaccine in particular fuels vaccine hesitancy in general,” he added.

Sen. Imee Marcos said they have been receiving a great number of complaints from Russia’s Gamaleya and Sinopharm, whose vaccines’ EUA are all pending approval.

FDA director-general Eric Domingo said the foreign vaccine manufacturers have no local representatives, and there is also a problem with compliance of documents.

“This is the mess. We do not know who their local representative is,” Domingo said.

Hesitancy

Some police officials are hesitant to be inoculated with coronavirus vaccines from China and will only do so if instructed by the national government.

The officers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they will look at the vaccines of other pharmaceutical companies especially if the recipients will be their families.

President Duterte wants a portion of the donated COVID-19 vaccines from China’s Sinovac to be allocated to the police and military.

One of them, a police official assigned in Camp Crame, said he will pass on China-made vaccines even if he would lose his slot and would rather wait for the brands from other pharmaceutical firms.

Asked for the reason, the police officer said he would rather have the medicines from other reputable companies such as Pfizer and Moderna of the United States and British-Swedish company AstraZeneca.

Another police official based in Central Luzon, meanwhile, said he will take the made in China vaccine if there is a directive from higher headquarters in Camp Crame.

“As police officers, we were instructed to comply first before complaining,” he said in a phone interview.

However, the situation is different when it comes to his wife and children, saying he would rather procure vaccines from other companies.

This was the same sentiment of a female police commander in Metro Manila, stressing she will never let her children take the Sinovac vaccine CoronaVac.

A police general, however, said he is willing to be inoculated with the vaccine from China despite his apprehension, adding it is better to take the risk than not getting vaccinated at all.

Philippine National Police PNP) chief Gen. Debold Sinas refused to comment when asked if he is willing to be inoculated with the vaccine from Sinovac.

Sinas did not reply when asked if he would prefer to be vaccinated in public to boost the government’s campaign to convince people to get the jabs purchased by the national government.

Meanwhile, the delivery of 117,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine from the World Health Organization’s COVAX facility has apparently hit a snag.

National Task Force deputy chief Vince Dizon said in a Palace briefing that there are some delays in the vaccine arrival from the COVAX facility due to documentary issues.

But Dizon said he remains optimistic the delivery will be made within the month.

Allergic reactions

Medical experts yesterday warned against getting second dose of COVID vaccine for those who would suffer from allergic reactions in the initial shot.

The Philippine Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (PSSAAI), however, maintained that there is no reason for the public to worry and that COVID vaccine is safe to most people.

The PSSAAI noted that the risk of getting COVID infection is higher than the risk of suffering from allergic reaction from vaccination.

“Severe allergic reaction is rare and the usual mild allergic reaction such as rashes, itchiness, running nose and sneezing can be managed with antihistamine,” immunology and allergy doctor Maria Carmen Ang said in a virtual briefing yesterday.

Ang said vaccines may cause side effects to a person, but not all of them are allergic reactions.

“Some side effects are reactogenic and it is not the same as allergic,” she said, and that among the local or reactogenic reactions are pain, swelling and redness in the injection.

She said those mild reactions, including vomiting, headache, muscle pain and fever, would go away within three days and can be managed with pain reliever.

Only those who would have immediate allergic reaction such as anaphylaxis and those with allergy to the components of vaccine are strongly advised against getting vaccinated, she said.

“The only contraindication are for patients with immediate allergic reaction whether mild or severe after the first dose should not receive the second dose and those with history of any component of the vaccine should not receive as well,” Ang stressed.

She said those with allergy to food and other allergens as well as those with asthma, allergic rhinitis can still receive the vaccine.

PSSAAI president Rommel Lobo said there has been no confirmed death related to COVID vaccine.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the added protection of COVID-19 vaccine will bring the Philippines one step closer to resuming a more normal life. – Emmanuel Tupas, Christina Mendez, Mayen Jaymalin