Not the be all, end all

We join the rest of the world in rejoicing on the success of the best minds in science, medicine and technology for having developed not just one or two but half a dozen of the potential vaccines that could end the reign of the current pandemic terror. One after the other, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) have followed China and Russia in rolling out their respective vaccines against the deadly coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

International pharmaceutical companies like the Pfizer of US and BioNTech of Germany joined Sinovac Biotech of China, and Sputnik-V by Russia’s Gamaleya that got ahead in the race to develop their respective anti-COVID vaccines. They are able to do so in compliance with the emergency use authority (EUA) by their respective Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and in conformity with the safety and efficacy vaccine standards of the World Health Organization (WHO).

For smaller and poor countries like ours – the Philippines, these vaccines against the COVID-19 infection will not be available anytime sooner. National Task Force (NTF) chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., who is also the designated “vaccine czar” in our country, had earlier admitted that around 80% of the projected production of the anti-COVID vaccines have already been ordered ahead and pre-paid for by wealthy and big nations.

Britain, Canada, Bahrain and Mexico are the first four countries that got their initial supply of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine after giving their respective EUAs.

If it is any comfort for us, the Philippines participated in the COVID-19 vaccines “solidarity clinical trials” under the direction of the WHO. Subsequently, our country joined the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) program. For this program, President Rodrigo Duterte approved advance payments for the vaccine – which is required by some drugmakers and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI-COVAX) Facility. Once licensed and approved for any particular vaccine, this Facility guarantees 20% of the Philippine population can be supplied with the vaccine.

Of the remaining 20% of the projected world supply of the vaccines, Galvez cited, 2% have been allocated under the COVAX. Thus, Galvez conceded, the Philippines would have to compete for 18% of the supply that would be available for the rest of the world.

As to when exactly enough vaccines would become available in the Philippines, there is no certainty yet.

Galvez laid down the “vaccine roadmap” to President Duterte and other members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) during their meeting held at Malacañang last week. On the recommendations of the IATF, President Duterte signed already Executive Order (EO) 121 that would similarly authorize our own FDA invoke the EUA to allow the use of the anti-COVID vaccine even while still under experimental stage.

This will shorten the review process to 21 days only from the existing minimum of six months that our FDA gives itself to approve or reject products such as vaccine for use here in our country.

Normally, development of a vaccine takes a minimum of ten years of tedious laboratory processes and series of tests on animals before clinical trials for human consumption. The EUA is allowed only by the WHO during health crisis situation like the ongoing COVID pandemic where the specific vaccine is still on phase 3 of the human clinical trials.

The FDA of the UK-approved Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine was rolled out on Dec. 8, coinciding with our Catholic celebration of Immaculate Conception Day. But in UK, it was dubbed “V-Day” as in vaccine day for the first Western country to start vaccinating anti-COVID to its general population. A 90-year-old grandmother in London became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine while Filipina nurse May Parsons had the honor to inject it to her. Other Pinoy nurses in UK also got their vaccine shots.

On Saturday, Russia began vaccinating thousands of their doctors, teachers and other Moscow citizens with its Sputnik-V vaccine. Actually, the use of Sputnik-V was allowed by their FDA as early as last summer after it was tested in only a few dozen people who included the daughter of Russian president Vladimir Putin as among the first volunteers.

In the case of Sinovac, their vaccine was already in advance stage because its development took off from the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus that started in China. The current pandemic that spread in China’s Wuhan province is actually SARS-CoV-2.

This is why, Galvez earlier disclosed, the Sinovac will be the first anti-COVID vaccine that will arrive in the Philippines ahead of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine deal that was entered into with this UK-based pharma. Organized by the private sector-led foundation led by presidential adviser on entrepreneurship business leader, Joey Concepcion, at least 2.6 million doses of Astra-Zeneca vaccine are due to arrive by first quarter of next year.

According to Galvez, our government’s timeline is to vaccinate at least 60 million Filipinos in the next three to five years. The 18th Congress have ratified already the 2021 budget bill that includes P72.5 billion for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines.

Last week, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) head office in Manila launched its $9 billion facility to assist developing members like the Philippines to procure and deliver effective and safe anti-COVID vaccines. So if budget is not enough, we have another source of funds.

Echoing the policy of our own FDA, Galvez reassured the public only anti-COVID vaccines proven safe and effective will be injected to us Filipinos.

Once these anti-COVID vaccines become available here, obviously not all 109 million or so Filipinos can get inoculation. A Social Weather Stations survey in November showed only 66% of Filipinos anyway, are willing to be vaccinated.

Yet, the vaccine is not the be all and end all of our COVID pandemic woes.