COVID-19 vaccine na gawang China, oks nang gamitin — Galvez

ni Thea Janica Teh | January 5, 2021

Nilinaw ni COVID-19 National Policy Chief Implementer at vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez, Jr. na maaari nang gamitin ang Sinopharm bilang bakuna kontra COVID-19 dahil may basbas na umano ito ng pamahalaan ng China.

Ang Sinopharm ang vaccine na binanggit ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte kamakailan na ginamit umanong bakuna sa mga miyembro ng Presidential Security Group (PSG). Marami ang umalma rito dahil hindi pa ito awtorisado ng Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Ayon kay Galvez, "Para mawala ang ating misconception sa mga Chinese vaccine, noong last January po, ang China po ay nag-approve ng EUA of Sinopharm for general use. Dalawa po kasi ang ginagawa po ng China, 'yung tinatawag nating emergency authorization for limited use at saka po mayroon tayong emergency utilization for general use.”

Sa inilabas na update ni Galvez kay Pangulong Duterte, sinabi nito na nasa 100 vaccine ang tinitingnan ng pamahalaan kung saan ang ilan dito ay malapit na sa phase 3 trial kabilang ang Sinovac, Sinopharm, AstraZeneca at Pfizer.

“Ang Sinovac at saka 'yung Sinopharm ay nabigyan po sila ng EUA or 'yung emergency use for limited use, katulad po ng Sinovac, limited use for tinatawag nating elderly at saka tinatawag nating 'yung vulnerable sector," dagdag ni Galvez.

Samantala, ibinahagi rin ni Galvez na nagkaroon na rin ng “stringent authority” sa US at UK ang vaccine na gawang Pfizer na sinundan ng Moderna at AstraZeneca.

Govt. offc'ls, walang access sa pondo ng COVID-19 vaccine — Galvez

ni Ronalyn Seminiano Reonico | December 19, 2020

Binigyang-diin ng National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 chief implementer at vaccine czar na si Carlito Galvez Jr. na walang opisyal ng gobyerno ang may access sa pondo para sa COVID-19 vaccines at pinabulaanan din niya ang isyu na mayroong “kickback” umano ang ilan sa mga ito na naging dahilan ng pagkaantala ng pagdating sa bansa ng 10 million doses ng bakunang gawa ng Pfizer.

Aniya, “Our fund managers such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have laid out very stringent regulatory requirements and processes [that] we need to follow such as World Health Organization accreditation of the vaccines and Stringent Regulatory Authorization of foreign countries like the US, UK, Canada, or Singapore.

“We would also like to emphasize that no government official has access to the funds for vaccine procurement. All deals will be made through international procurement agreements and all payments for the vaccines will be managed by our multilateral partners with the Department of Finance (DOF) [in] the lead.”

Nauna nang nabanggit ni Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan noong Huwebes na umaasa siyang hindi ang isyu ng “kickvacc” ang dahilan ng pagkaantala ng delivery ng 10 million doses ng Pfizer COVID-19 sa bansa.

Pahayag ni Pangilinan, "Huwag naman sana na may issue ng 'kickvacc' sa dropping of the ball ng Pfizer vaccine procurement.”

Matatandaan namang binanggit ni Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. na “someone dropped the ball” kaya naapektuhan ang shipment ng naturang bakuna sa bansa. Nabanggit naman ni Senator Panfilo Lacson na si Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III ang naging dahilan umano ng pagkaantala nito.

Aniya, “Thus, they could have secured the delivery of 10 million Pfizer vaccines as early as January next year, way ahead of Singapore but for the indifference of Secretary Duque who failed to work on the necessary documentary requirement, namely, the confidentiality disclosure agreement (CDA) as he should have done.”

Samantala, pinabulaanan naman ito ni Duque at aniya ay patuloy pa rin ang negosasyon ng Pilipinas at Pfizer. Dahil sa isyu na ito, ipinaliwanag ni Galvez ang proseso ng vaccine procurement.

Aniya, “To give you a clear picture of the process of vaccine procurement and allay the fears of some quarters, the DOH leads the government’s preparation for the Agency Procurement Request (APR).

“Meanwhile, as vaccine czar, my role is primarily focused on negotiating directly with the vaccine companies to make sure we get the best deal possible in terms of cost, volume, time of delivery, and supply agreement.”

Aniya, kapag napagkasunduan na ang draft contract, isusumite naman ito sa Department of Finance upang masiguro na naaayon ito sa mga requirements ng Food and Drug Administration.

Aniya pa, “Once cleared, the contract will be forwarded to our multilateral partners or fund managers for further review and validation to ensure the integrity of the contract.”

Saad pa ni Galvez, “We want to assure the public that all transactions the government has entered into are being done with utmost transparency, sense of fairness, and accountability.”