‘Not low quality’: Palace says Sinovac vaccine recipients won’t die from COVID-19
By Deighton Acuin
| PHOTO: Yahoo News |
The coronavirus vaccines from Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac are “not quality,” Malacañang said Monday, adding those who would receive its doses will not die from coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque made this statement after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an emergency use authorization to Sinovac’s vaccines and did not recommend to be received by senior citizens and healthcare personnel.
The FDA added it should be only inoculated to clinically healthy individuals with ages of between 18-59 years old.
“It is not a low quality vaccine, it is accepted under standards of the WHO [World Health Organization] itself,” Roque said in an online briefing.
“It is a guarantee that yung mga nabakunahan ay hindi po mamamatay dahil sa Covid-19, it is a guarantee na kung ikaw ay tamaan man, mild and asymptomatic ka lamang.”
“Bakit naman hindi tatanggapin ang bakuna na magbibigay ng kasiguraduhan na hindi ka mamamatay dahil sa Covid-19? Baka masagasaan ka o iba pa, mamatay ka sa gutom dahil sa lockdown pero at least hindi ka mamamatay dahil sa Covid-19.”
“It’s better than no protection and as I said, ang iniiwasan natin ay yung pagkakasakit na seryoso o di naman kaya ay yung nakamamatay,” Roque added.
While the Sinovac already received EUA, experts said the efficacy rate of the Chinese-made vaccine is 50.4 percent, unfit for healthcare workers who are always exposed to COVID-19 infected patients.
The Palace official said 600,000 doses that are donated by Chinese government are expected to arrive in at least three days.
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