Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 24) — President Rodrigo Duterte was puzzled over the Food and Drug Administration’s recommendation not to use China’s Sinovac vaccines on health workers and senior citizens despite granting its emergency use authorization, Malacañang said on Wednesday.
In a briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque shared Duterte’s concern on why Sinovac is not being recommended for vaccination priority groups, when it was the World Health Organization that had set the minimum 50% efficacy threshold for COVID-19 vaccines.
He stressed, however, that Duterte respects the recommendation of the experts.
“Naiparating ni Presidente ‘yung kanyang pagtataka kung bakit may ganitong colatilla. Nirerespeto po ng Presidente ang opinyon ng mga experts. Kaya let the colatilla remain,” Roque said. “Pero…ang tanong niya ay bakit kinakailangang magcolatilla kung ang WHO mismo ang nagsabi 50% efficacy is acceptable?”
[Transalation: The President has forwarded his concern on why this kind of colatilla exists. The President respects the opinion of the experts. So let the colatilla remain. But…he is asking why is there such colatilla if the WHO itself said that the 50% efficacy is acceptable.]
Brazilian researchers previously reported that Sinovac is only over 50% effective based on the country’s trial data. Sinovac’s general manager, Helen Yang ,said in the Malacañang briefing that the Brazil trial was conducted on health workers exposed to COVID-19, which is considered a high-risk group in a complex and endemic environment.
Sinovac received its EUA on Monday, but FDA Director General Eric Domingo advised against using the vaccine on healthcare workers and elderlies due to low efficacy rate in clinical trials. FDA recommended that the vaccines only be used on healthy people aged 18-59.
Domingo told CNN Philippines in a separate interview that authorities still have to test whether a 50% rate would be more effective in specific priority groups than others since the country intends to prioritize health workers and senior citizens over other groups for inoculation.
Duterte willing to welcome Sinovac’s arrival
While no date has been set yet for Sinovac’s rollout, Duterte himself has expressed his intent to personally welcome its arrival as a show of “debt of gratitude,” Malacañang added.
“Unang una po, talagang sinabi ng Presidente na nais niyang salubungin ang pagdating ng Sinovac. Pilipino tayo, tumatanaw tayo ng utang na loob,” Roque said.
[Translation: First of all, the President really said that he wants to personally welcome the arrival of Sinovac. We are Filipinos, we recognize debt of gratitude.]
Duterte, who has long been vocal about his warm ties with China, only wanted to thank Beijing anew for coming to the rescue as the Philippine government grapples with the pandemic, Roque said.
“Wala naman pong epekto iyan sa mga issue na meron tayo sa ating bilateral relations sa Tsina. Nagpapasalamat lang po ang Presidente. Dahil sa panahon ng pagsubok, Tsina na naman ang nagdeliver,” he reasoned, noting that Filipinos are not an ungrateful people.
[Translation: This has no effect on any issues that we have concerning our bilateral relations with China. The President just wants to thank them. Because in a time of need, China delivered.]
Sinovac’s Yang said they are doing their best to ship the promised 600,000 doses to the country within the week.
