Solon back purchase of more COVID vax but…
A HOUSE leader who once served as Health secretary on Monday backed the procurement of more cost-effective coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) vaccines, but dissuaded non-experts from commenting on the efficacy of available vaccines in the country.
Deputy Minority Leader and Iloilo Rep. Janet Garin, a doctor and Health secretary during the Aquino administration, stressed this in response to the statement of former adviser to the government’s coronavirus task force Dr. Tony Leachon during last Friday’s Senate hearing that only five vaccines made by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Janssen, and Bharat Biotech are “effective” versus the more transmissible Delta COVID-19 variant.
“While I agree that the country should procure vaccines that are more cost-effective for our population, we should also be careful of what we say in public. Hindi na nga natin maabot-abot ang 70% vaccination rate ng population, binibigyan pa natin ng air time ang non experts,” Garin said.
“Hindi basehan ng expertise ang pagkakaroon ng maraming followers at pagiging maingay sa social media lalo na sa usapan ng vaccinology. Let us not confuse people. Let us not scare people. Bakuna muna, tsaka na ang pulitika,” Garin explained. “Huwag tayong sumawsaw sa labanan ng pharmaceuticals. Let us not pit vaccines against each other. Now, more than ever, we need to listen to real experts and factual science.”
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire took a swipe at Leachon, maintaining that all COVID-19 vaccines are effective against COVID-19 During the Senate hearing, Leachon said “Fifty percent of our orders are from Sinovac, now what is the problem with this? There are only five vaccines that will be effective for the Delta variant. This is based on their efficacy rate.”
“There are no published report for Sinovac and Sputnik. So ayun ‘yung nakikita natin, are we ordering the right vaccines considering that we are dealing with the Delta variant?” Leachon added in questioning the government’s procurement of vaccines.
Garin maintained that all COVID-19 vaccines save lives and offer best protection against COVID-19, adding officials should work together to improve vaccine confidence in the country.
“All vaccines help prevent severe COVID-19 – that is the truth. Vaccines’ efficacy rates are subjective: it depends on the population, age, health status, etc. To say that only this or that brand is effective is naiveté and a disservice to the scientific community,” Garin said.
“Unprecedented ang transmissibility rate ng Delta variant. Sa katotohanan, unexpected naman lahat ng COVID-19 variants. Lahat ng vaccines ay hindi naman prepared sa kung anong variant ang lalabas dahil hindi naman natin alam kung paano at kailan nade-develop at lumalabas ang iba’t ibang variants. As the virus evolves, so do the studies for its cure and prevention,” Garin pointed out.
“The remarkable vaccine escape capability of the Delta variant has affected all vaccines. That is why more antibodies/soldiers are needed by our bodies because the Delta variant can replicate 1000x than the other variants. The solution is a third dose. Clinical trials of Sinovac and Pfizer has this information already,” Garin said.
