Vaccinations in the Philippines

[rfm010 3,756]

So the covid war wiil be fought in the philippines.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1321374/cavite-to-join-vaccine-trials

The province of Cavite volunteered to participate in the clinical trial of two different new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines, neither of which comes from countries favored by President Rodrigo Duterte in the global race to develop the pandemic cure.

Cavite Gov. Juanito Victor Remulla on Thursday said the vaccines—one developed in the United States and the other in the United Kingdom—would be tested on 10,000 people from Cavite, as part of the Phase 3 of the four-stage clinical research.

Phase 3, according to the World Health Organization, investigates the efficacy and possible adverse effects of an experimental drug on large groups—“from several hundred to several thousand.”

In a message to the Inquirer, Remulla said the vaccines would be given “free” to volunteers from Cavite. But he declined to disclose the brands, pending the formal signing of agreement with the pharmaceutical companies next week.

The local government’s initiative to join the vaccine trials came on the heels of Duterte’s statement that he was willing to become a guinea pig for Russia’s “Sputnik V,” the first to be granted regulatory approval.

In earlier pronouncements, Duterte said he was also relying on vaccines being developed by China.

 

[battleborn 671]

It will be interesting as to when the testing begins.  I had read Sept 2020 and May 2021 so whichever date I will be curious what the results will be.

[Dutch 110]

To put it in a better context, flu shots typically are between 40-60% effective, 90% is amazing. ( https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/vaccineeffect.htm )

Better hope PH will stop waiting for sinovac, and switch to pfizer or whatever safe vaccines will be available soonest.
Especially given the worrying reports about safety related to sinovac.

[+to_dave007 6,185]

2 hours ago, Dutch said:

To put it in a better context, flu shots typically are between 40-60% effective, 90% is amazing. ( https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/vaccineeffect.htm )

Better hope PH will stop waiting for sinovac, and switch to pfizer or whatever safe vaccines will be available soonest.
Especially given the worrying reports about safety related to sinovac.

One of my PERSONAL requirements.. before I take a vaccine.. is that it be "China Free".  If it means I must wait for Pfizer.. then so be it.

[RR3 552]

1 hour ago, to_dave007 said:

One of my PERSONAL requirements.. before I take a vaccine.. is that it be "China Free".  If it means I must wait for Pfizer.. then so be it.

DU30 already decided to take in Russian vaccine. Stand in line plz.

Pfizer is late. China, Russia vaccinating for full. Same 90 per cent there.

Follow the money. Who benefits of this flu hype? Big pharma makes billions. Media supports the hoax. Flues come and flues go. Are you ready for the next?

[BossHog 39,927]

Two excerpts from this Inquirer article today

1.) The Philippines still can’t make reservations for COVID-19 vaccines— not because it lacks funds but because other countries have already made their own reservations, President Rodrigo Duterte said.

2.) “As long as someone would lend us money, no problem about it,” he said, speaking partly in Filipino.

Sure, money's never an issue as long as someone is willing to give you enough of it!

 

[Dutch 110]

54 minutes ago, BossHog said:

Two excerpts from this Inquirer article today

1.) The Philippines still can’t make reservations for COVID-19 vaccines— not because it lacks funds but because other countries have already made their own reservations, President Rodrigo Duterte said.

2.) “As long as someone would lend us money, no problem about it,” he said, speaking partly in Filipino.

Sure, money's never an issue as long as someone is willing to give you enough of it!

 

Screaming for months that you are going to wait for a chinese vaccine, while all other countries are rushing to place orders with the main pharma companies

Now the reservations are filled until well into 2021 and you can't even place an order anymore, who could've seen that coming...

[Soupeod 7,974]

21 hours ago, BossHog said:

Two excerpts from this Inquirer article today

1.) The Philippines still can’t make reservations for COVID-19 vaccines— not because it lacks funds but because other countries have already made their own reservations, President Rodrigo Duterte said.

2.) “As long as someone would lend us money, no problem about it,” he said, speaking partly in Filipino.

Sure, money's never an issue as long as someone is willing to give you enough of it!

 

The PH Red Cross can't buy it because the Gov owes them money... Also a side note - how does this PH Red Cross lack of funds help the Typhoon victims who need help today?

 

[SkyMan 24,681]

The Philippines has been ready for this for years.

[liquido 1,615]

For you members living there in the RP will you be willing to get either the Chinese or Russian vaccine or abstaining completely?

"But mistrust of China, including of its vaccines, remains widespread in the Philippines, according to a opinion survey conducted in July."

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/philippines-targets-deal-25-million-094105056.html

[BossHog 39,927]

The Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines will be available in the Philippines soon enough through non-governmental sources. Not on the black market, lol, but through for-profit medical centers. I'm willing to shell out for me and my immediate family to get either of those.

The Chinese and Russian ones? Nah.

[MarinePride 592]

On 12/14/2020 at 9:20 AM, liquido said:

For you members living there in the RP will you be willing to get either the Chinese or Russian vaccine or abstaining completely?

"But mistrust of China, including of its vaccines, remains widespread in the Philippines, according to a opinion survey conducted in July."

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/philippines-targets-deal-25-million-094105056.html

Why get a vaccine for something that is 99% survivable? It just doesn’t make any sense. Also, other people’s health is not my problem. Lock yourself inside if you’re one of the scared ones I say!

No plans on taking any vaccine.
 

 

[+Dafey 16,640]

27 minutes ago, MarinePride said:

Why get a vaccine for something that is 99% survivable?

I'm in the high risk 1%. I will absolutely take my chances with a tried and true vaccine. It will also be months before I can acquire a vaccine solots of time to find out how dangerous it is.

[liquido 1,615]

Hope someone there makes up there mind?

 

MANILA, Philippines — It was “tragic and to an extent criminal” on the part of health officials to miss an opportunity to get 10 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine by January just because of their slow action, Sen. Grace Poe said yesterday.

“We need to vaccinate at least 60 to 70 percent of our population, which is at the minimum 70 million,” Poe said in an interview.

“And we are already getting the 10 million supposedly by January. But because, again... the DOH (Department of Health) leadership was neither here nor there and could not make a decision, could not give the proper recommendation, we missed it,” she said in Filipino and English.

“They’re saying the rollout – still uncertain – will be sometime mid next year. So that’s how many months from now? People are already exhausted over all of these quarantine requirements and restrictions. The economy is already suffering. How many billions will it cost us to save the health of hundreds and to save our ailing economy?” she lamented.

She said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III’s indecision in securing the initial doses for the Philippines has left the country and its prospect for economic recovery in limbo.

“Our chance to get that was given to Singapore because they could act decisively and we can’t,” she added.

Poe said she looks forward to the convening of the Senate committee of the whole to hear what Duque and other concerned officials have to say on the country’s vaccination program.

She said there was need for the Duterte administration to be transparent about its plan of acquiring vaccines and ensuring their safety and efficacy.

Help from Moderna, Arcturus

In a statement, Philippine ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said Moderna and another American biopharmaceutical firm, Arcturus – aside from Pfizer – are ready to provide four million to 25 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippines.

“I am pleased to report that aside from Pfizer, Moderna and Arcturus are ready to supply four to 25 million of their respective vaccines starting Q3 2021, should the Philippine government find their proposals acceptable,” Romualdez said.

“We are hoping our government will consider the promising candidates of Moderna and Arcturus for inclusion in our country’s pool of anti-COVID vaccines,” he said.

A panel of US experts on Thursday voted to recommend emergency approval of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Romualdez’s statement came after Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. revealed that the country was supposed to receive 10 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine by January until “somebody dropped the ball.”

Locsin said he and Romualdez facilitated a deal with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to secure Pfizer’s vaccine.

The purchase, Locsin said, was supposed to be funded by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

Romualdez, however, said the Philippines’ deal with Pfizer for the procurement is still “in progress.”

He said the January 2021 delivery date of the vaccines was pushed back to June because other nations finalized deals earlier and the Philippines “did not act quick enough on the Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement (CDA)” for the procurement.

“It’s useless for us to blame people, nothing will happen to us. The bottom line is, we did not act quickly which we all have to accept, and just simply move on,” Romualdez said in an interview on TeleRadyo yesterday.

Sought for comment on Romualdez’s statement, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said “defer to Sec. Galvez,” referring to vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., the chief implementer of the government’s COVID-19 response.

Locsin said all vaccine manufacturers, not just Pfizer, require that they be held “free and harmless” for any harm caused by their vaccine.

“Anyone says the delay was caused by Pfizer requiring that it be held free and harmless for any harm caused by its vaccine. All vaccine makers demand the same free and harmless clause. I mean f****** all. Also Pfizer never demanded downpayment,” he said on Twitter yesterday.

The country’s top diplomat also backed the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines from different countries to overcome vaccine resistance in the country caused by the Dengvaxia controversy.

“That’s what I proposed with breathtaking logic: a mixed offer of all vaccines, some free, some you pay for, to overcome vaccine resistance thanks to Dengvaxia, thereby reducing Filipino native suspicion of anything not Caucasian – and yet BioNTech was invented by Turkish couple,” Locsin said.— Helen Flores, Christina Mendez

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/12/19/2064858/missed-deal-pfizer-vaccine-tragic-criminal

[+to_dave007 6,185]

This thread is intended as a HOW TO GET IT GUIDE for those who DO want the COVID Vaccination in Cebu.  I am fully aware of the risks that some people fear, but if wish to voice your opinion that the vaccine may not be safe, please start your own thread on that subject.  If you feel, a I do, that vaccination will become a PREREQUISITE to board an aircraft, and if you want to fly (as I do), then I intend this thread as the info-central for foreigners who wish to get the vaccination in Cebu.  Where can a foreigner get the vaccination?  what procedure?  how much will it cost?

I'll kick off this thread with this article..   

Pfizer, Sinovac vaccines to arrive Feb. 20: Galvez (dated January 14, 2021)

MANILA – Vaccines manufactured by pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Sinovac are expected to arrive in the country by February 20, National Policy Against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Wednesday night.

"Nakausap namin kahapon ang COVAX facility. May possibility po na February po na magdala po ang COVAX dito, WHO at saka UNICEF ng Pfizer (We spoke to the COVAX facility yesterday. There is a possibility in February, that COVAX alongside the World Health Organization and UNICEF might bring here the vaccines from Pfizer)," Galvez told President Rodrigo Durterte during his regular public address.

"Ang Sinovac po ay darating din po ng February 20. (Some) 50,000 initially and then dadagdagan po sila ng 950,000 sa susunod na buwan at 2 million sa susunod na mga buwan (Sinovac will also arrive on Feb. 20, around 50,000 initially and then around 950,000 will be added next month and 2 million in the coming months)," he added.

Logistics preps

Meanwhile, Galvez said preparations of the logistical requirement for vaccine deployment are underway.

It is expected to be ready by January 30, he added, to make sure the country is prepared for the arrival of the first batch of vaccines.

Galvez said the government will conduct a series of inspections next week, to ensure the country's preparedness for vaccine deployment.

It will also check the storage capacities of the country's cold chain facilities for vaccines.

Galvez said these facilities are located at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), University of the Philippines (UP), and San Lazaro Hospital.

They will also check the cold chain facilities privately-owned by pharmaceutical companies Zuellig and Unilab.

The government's preparations for vaccine deployment include training of vaccinators, mobilization of security forces, and readying partner-stakeholders, he added.

Vaccine storage, distribution

Galvez said Covid-19 jabs that require -70°C and -20°C temperatures, such as Pfizer and Moderna, will be stored in the country's major storage hubs in Metro Manila, Davao, and Cebu.

While vaccines requiring 2°C–8°C such as Sinovac, Johnson&Johnson, AstraZeneca, and Novavax vaccines can be deployed in the far-flung communities.

"Ang strategy po na 'yan, hindi po natin inimbento. 'Yan po ay strategy na ginawa ng mga naunang nag-rollout, katulad ng U.S., U.K., at Indonesia (We did not invent that strategy because it has been done by countries that have already rolled out their vaccination campaigns such as Indonesia, United States, and the United Kingdom),” Galvez said.

As the government pushed through negotiations with six vaccine developers, Galvez said about 137 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been secured.

"Puwede pong umakyat ‘yan na 172 — sa 172. Hindi pa po kasama diyan ang 42 million doses para po sa COVAX kasi bibigyan po tayo ng COVAX ng (It could increase up to 172 doses. This is apart from 42 million doses under COVAX facility negotiations which could vaccinate about) 20 percent country’s population," he added.

Under the COVAX facility, Galvez said the government can guarantee access to a portfolio of vaccines and doses for at least 22 million Filipinos.

He said the government is negotiating with pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Novavax and J&J, to deliver vaccines as early as the first quarter of the year so that the country could initially rollout the vaccination program by the first quarter.

Vaccine deployment

"So ang gagawin lang po natin is gagawa po tayo ng magandang Gantt chart at saka ‘yung synchronization matrix. I-synchronize lang po natin na pagdating natin kaagad, i-deploy natin po kaagad (We will make a Gantt chart and a synchronization matrix to synchronize it. Once they arrive, they will immediately be deployed)," Galvez said.

Galvez also urged local government units (LGUs) to start preparing for the arrival of the Covid-19 vaccines by next month.

He said LGUs serve as “grassroots implementer” for the nationwide vaccination program.

“The implementation of the national vaccine program is not the sole responsibility of the government. This is the reason why the whole-of-government, whole-of-nation approach shall be adopted maximizing manpower, expertise, processes to ensure coordinated and greater implementation of the Covid-19 immunization program,” Galvez said.

He said the government will assist LGUs which cannot afford to procure vaccines for their constituents.

“‘Yung mga probinsya at mayors na hindi makakabili, kami po ang magbibigay ng vaccine. At saka po ‘yung mga kulang ng iba, kami po ang magpupuno (Those provinces and towns which cannot procure their vaccines, we will provide the vaccines. And when others lack supply, we will fill that gap)," he said.

The government will also shoulder other requirements including syringes, cotton, cold chain storage, and sets of personal protective equipment (PPE), he said.

Galvez said the government has earmarked a total of PHP82.5 billion for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines and other logistic requirements. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1127328