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PRRD can’t wait for Covid-19 vax to arrive in PH: Roque
MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte could no longer wait for the arrival of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the country to start the rollout of the government’s mass immunization drive, Malacañang said on Friday.
“Tatapatin ko kayo, si Presidente ang nagsalita na siya mismo naiinip na, kinakailangan dumating na ang mga bakuna (Frankly speaking, the President said he could no longer wait and stressed that the vaccines should be delivered to the country now),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in an interview with state-run PTV-4.
Duterte on Thursday certified as urgent the proposed indemnification fund law which aims to compensate individuals who might die or get sick after getting inoculated with Covid-19 vaccines.
The indemnity or no-fault agreement is one of the requirements before the Philippines could receive Covid-19 vaccines through the Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility.
Also on Thursday, Duterte signed Memorandum Order 51 allowing the National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19, the Department of Health, and local government units (LGUs) to make advance payments exceeding 15 percent of the total contract amount in procuring the vaccines.
Roque was optimistic that local and national governments would do their best to avoid delays in the planned inoculation with Covid-19 vaccines this month.
“Siguro dahil nagsalita na ng ganyan ang Presidente eh gagalaw na ng mabilis ang lahat (Perhaps, everyone will work faster),” he said.
The Philippines expected the initial delivery of 117,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine from Washington-based pharmaceutical giant Pfizer in mid-February. However, the indemnification requirements have caused delays in the delivery of Pfizer vaccines.
The arrival of 600,000 doses of vaccine from China’s Sinovac, which was supposed to be on Feb. 23, might also be delayed if the Food and Drug Administration fails to grant the drugmaker an emergency use authorization (EUA).
The government’s goal is to vaccinate 50 million to 70 million Filipinos by the end of the year.
Roque told Filipinos to not be afraid of getting inoculated with Covid-19 vaccines, saying their cooperation is important to ensure the successful fight against Covid-19.
“Kinakailangan pakinggan natin ang mga epidemiologist, ispeyalista, mga vaccinologist at lahat naman sila nagsasabi na bagamat EUA, eh mas marami yung benepisyo na makukuha natin sa mga bakuna laban sa Covid-19 kaysa dun sa kanilang posibleng mga side effects (Let’s listen to the epidemiologists, specialists, vaccinologists. They are saying that while we would use the vaccines through EUA, there are many benefits rather than the possible side effects),” he said.
Duterte has reminded local and national governments to ensure that the Covid-19 vaccines that they will procure are “safe and effective,” Senator Christopher Lawrence Go said on Thursday.
Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
