Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 16) Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Tuesday that some manufacturers not accepting COVID-19 vaccine orders anymore has no implication to the countrys supply and program rollout.
Ang epekto po noon wala po (It has no effect), he said in a briefing in Davao City when asked about the implication of vaccine producers not accepting vaccine orders anymore.
Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said in a separate briefing that vaccine developers, like AstraZeneca, are no longer accepting more vaccine orders.
Galvez assured that the 17 million AstraZeneca doses earlier procured by the local government units and the private sector are surely secured. He added that both parties are having ongoing talks for the procurement of 10 million vials from Novavax.
The bill being discussed in Congress that will expedite purchase of vaccines with the participation of LGUs through tripartite agreements will also help in securing more supply from Novavax, he added.
READ:Â Duterte to certify as urgent bill relaxing procurement rules on LGUs purchasing COVID-19 vaccines
The Food and Drug Administration assured that the vaccines coming from COVAX facility are safe to use.
In an interview Tuesday, FDA Director General Eric Domigo said the World Health Organization will only send vaccines included in the Emergency Use Listing (EUL). A vaccine will be carefully scrutinized for its safety and efficacy before it can receive an EUL.
He explained that the WHO issues a set of criteria for the issuance of emergency use authorization that is being followed by the Philippines.
If there are any serious safety concerns, they will not give an emergency use listing,” Domingo said.
He added that efficacy rate comes next. A vaccine should be able to prove that it will help stop the spread of the virus and stop people from getting sick and dying, he noted.
A team from WHO also inspects manufacturing sites to check the quality of the vaccines, Domingo said.
So pag na-approve sya ng WHO kampante ka talaga. Nakita naman natin ang proseso na pinagdaanan nya in meeting global standards, he added.
[Translation: If they are approved by the WHO, you are comfortable. We saw the process they went through in meeting global standards.]
So far, Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-Astrazenecas vaccines produced by SKBio in Korea and Serum Institute of India are in the emergency use listing.
The Philippines targets to procure 148 million doses of vaccines to inoculate up to 70 million priority population this year.
CNN Philippines correspondent Carolyn Bonquin contributed to this report.
