MANILA, Philippines — The World Health Organization’s approval of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech is an “advantage” for the Philippines, the Department of Health said Wednesday.
Sinovac’s two-dose jab CoronaVac accounts for the bulk of the country’s vaccine supply. Since February, the Philippines has received 5.5 million CoronaVac doses, of which one million were donated by the Chinese government.
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WHO’s emergency use listing (EUL) gives countries assurance that the vaccine has met international standards, infectious disease specialist Anna Ong-Lim said.
“We need to view the EUL as something like a quality seal, which means it (vaccine) has passed the evaluation of WHO based on their independent review of the data submitted by the manufacturer,” Ong Lim, also a member of the DOH Technical Advisory Group, said during a town hall forum.
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the WHO’s green light can pave the way for more countries to use the vaccine.
“A vaccine included in the WHO’s listing is recognized across countries and its recognition from these countries will be faster,” Vergeire said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“It’s going to be something of an advantage because the vaccines being used here are mostly Sinovac and it can be recognized by other countries as well,” she added.
Ong-Lim also said the WHO listing should address concerns over the vaccine.
“WHO verified that this product is made under accepted standards. The effectivity and safety that [the manufacturer] is claiming have been validated. [The vaccine's] numbers did not just come from nowhere,” she said.
CoronaVac is one of the vaccines being rolled out in the government’s inoculation drive along with the jabs made by AstraZeneca, Gamaleya Research Institute and Pfizer-BioNTech.
A survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations suggested it was among the top vaccines preferred by Filipinos, along with the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.
The United Nations health agency approved CoronaVac for emergency use on Tuesday. It became the second Chinese vaccine to receive the green light after Sinopharm
The listing also opens the door for the jab to enter the COVAX global vaccine-sharing facility, which provides doses to poor countries. Currently, only AstraZeneca and some Pfizer shots are flowing through the scheme. — with report from Agence France-Presse