Circumstantially, Sinovac is our vaccine

In 1980, my second year of private law practice, I bought a 4-volume set of Jones on Evidence. In volume one, Jones defines circumstantial evidence as referring “to facts indirectly related to the fact in issue, these circumstances having been found by experience so associated with that fact that in the relation of cause and effect lead to a satisfactory conclusion.” Whew!

May I propose, for the purpose of this article today, the issue that this administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is pushing for the anti COVID-19 vaccine produced by Communist China over all others? This proposition is, to me, important in the light of the information that the efficacy of the Sinovac is only 50.4% compared to that of the reported efficacy rate of Pfizer at almost 95%. Differently said, this Red Chinese injectable is just about one half as effective as that of American brand. Yet, despite this glaring difference, our government seems to favor the former over the latter.

Having proposed that issue, let me present the circumstances as much as I recall.

1. Towards the third quarter of 2020, we learned that a vaccine was being developed by Pfizer. It was about the same time that the Oxford University laboratory also revealed to be working on its own vaccine, Astra Zeneca. According to their press releases, their respective medicine was on third trial levels and would probably be ready before the year would end. At that time, I heard nothing of Sinovac.

2. Not long after, Pfizer and Astra Zeneca were reported to have filed with our Food and Drug Administration (FDA) their documentation for this thing called EUA. The accompanying explanation said that the EUA was necessary for the actual administration as a vaccine. At that time, I still did not hear of a similar Sinovac application for emergency use.

3. Even if there was no report of a requisite Sinovac EUA application being filed with the FDA, there was beginning a stream of news on the supposed Communist Chinese vaccine readied for the Philippines with no less than president Duterte pitching for it. I remember having written here that the president acted as the best salesman of Sinovac.

4. On December 8, the United Kingdom had its first inoculation against the virus. Incidentally, a Filipina nurse made headlines as the first person to inject the vaccine. Pfizer was used. Few days later, the Americans followed suit. There was no word of Sinovac.

5. Our government announced that the first shipment of the heralded medicine against the virus was coming in the first or second week of February 2021. I thought of no other jab but either Pfizer or Astra Zeneca, never Sinovac.

6. At the same time, the news about Sinovac intensified such that we could not help but look at two things namely (1) the reported 50% efficacy and (2) its price being more than double that of Pfizer. Sen Panfilo Lacson, thought, rather loudly, of a possible overprice of sixteen billion pesos.

7. The government announced a delay in the arrival of the Pfizer. Reason? It failed to accomplish certain documents. But, we were assured that government was addressing that issue. Together with that announcement was the news that Sinovac applied for EUA.

8. The other day, reports came that finally government signed an Indemnity Agreement, the apparent lacking document in the Pfizer deal. Maybe, the American-German vaccine would be coming in the next few weeks. But, the FDA revealed that it gave EUA to Sinovac making Its delivery to us in possibly the next three days!

Can you blame me if I say I have been had? That circumstantial evidence showed that thru government chicanery, deception and manipulation, I may be eventually injected with Sinovac instead of Pfizer? Ask author Burr W. Jones.