By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – Members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) here clarified why they backed out from getting Chinese made COVID-19 vaccines during the initial rollout last week.
The councilors said their move on March 5, 2021 was in keeping with the instruction of vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez.
A statement from the Bacolod City Public Information office issued the clarification to ward off “malicious” speculations about the alleged refusal of the councilors to receive Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccines.
“We were not just there to witness the rollout. We were ready to get vaccinated and already committed ourselves during our CoVaC meeting last Wednesday [March 3],” Councilor Cindy Rojas said.
Rojas – along with fellow Councilors Israel Salanga, Lady Gles Pallen, and Ayesha Joy Villaflor – earlier expressed their willingness to be inoculated with the China-made vaccine.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia said vaccine czar Secretary Galvez informed him that medical frontliners should be prioritized in the vaccination.
“Vaccines are still limited. Let us dedicate the vaccines to our health care workers. Active hospital frontliners muna po tayo. No councilors, Sir,” read Galvez’s text message to the mayor.
Leonardia consulted Galvez after the latter questioned the propriety of a congresswoman getting vaccinated first despite her not being a medical frontliner.
“The city officials are not in the DOH priority list. That is why in spite of their willingness and excitement, the councilors were accordingly advised otherwise. It is not true at all that they retreated or changed their minds. They simply agreed to wait for the right time,” said Leonardia.
Six medical frontliners – five doctors and one nurse – were the first to be vaccinated Friday.
Held at the Bacolod City Government Center, the ceremony saw the vaccination of Dr. Miguel Sarabia, president of the Negros Occidental Medical Society; Dr. Hector Gayares Jr., chief executive officer of the Adventist International Healthcare System Philippines; Dr. Dolores Rommela Tiples-Ruiz, president of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Negros Occidental; Dr. Radela Yvonne Ramos-Cortes, an allergy expert; Dr. Carlos Javier Primicias Jr., a pediatrician; and nurse Valerie Villarosa-Sarabia, wife of Dr. Sarabia.
“Vaccines have been around for many years. We have stopped many diseases. It has made the world a better place to live in. I am glad that I am one of the people to receive this gift of life. May all the Bacolodnons also get vaccinated,” Dr. Sarabia said.
The initial doses received by the medical frontliners were part of around 6,300 CoronaVac vials allocated by the Department of Health to two hospitals in Bacolod City.
The five medical doctors who received the Sinovac vaccines are prominent doctors in the city, according to Leonardia.
“We are fortunate in Bacolod that the medical profession is giving us this unconditional and full cooperation,” the mayor added.
For his part, Leonardia said he will get vaccinated at the right time after considering existing guidelines.
“Sinovac can only be used for individuals 18 to 59 years old, without comorbidities,” said OIC-City Health Officer Dr. Edwin Miraflor.
CoronVac’s perceived low efficacy in trials has led to hesitancy to take the Chinese jabs.
A Reuters report cited Sinovac Biotech as saying that “late-stage trial data of its COVID-19 vaccine from Brazil and Turkey showed it prevented hospitalization and death in COVID-19 patients, but had a much lower efficacy rate in blocking infections.”
The vaccine was “100% effective in preventing COVID-19 sufferers from being hospitalized or dying and 83.7% effective in avoiding cases that required any medical treatment, but only 50.65% effective at keeping people from getting infected,” Sinovac said in a statement in February 2021.
The finding was based on the 12,396-person trial in Brazil and Turkey.
The trials evaluated the efficacy of the two-shot vaccine candidate 14 days after inoculation of participants, including healthcare workers who treat COVID-19 patients. (With a report from Reuters)
