Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has called on the government task force against COVID-19 to boost Filipinos’ confidence in the anti-COVID vaccines by communicating sufficiently and clearly its inoculation roadmap to the public.
(OFFICE OF SEN. BONG GO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Go, who heads the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said that while the government is doing its best to procure sufficient, safe, and effective vaccines against COVID, the dissemination campaign about these vaccines should also be intensified considering its benefits to the whole economy.
An informed citizenry, the senator said, will also be empowered through the right information to contribute to the bayanihan efforts to overcome the pandemic.
“If people are well informed, they would be confident to get vaccinated and they could help in the government’s efforts to fight this disease,” Go said in a statement in Filipino.
“The people should understand the plan so we can overcome this crisis. I’m confident of the government’s efforts under the leadership of our vaccine czar, but it’s important for our people to understand the efforts and believe them, and to remove any doubts they might have,” he stressed.
A national vaccine roadmap against COVID-19, he said, will facilitate the vaccine supply chain, and ensure its equitable and systematic distribution once it is available.
“We need to gain back people’s confidence. Many people want to get vaccinated but Filipinos in general are scared. It’s true, we really need safe vaccines, we should prioritize the safety and efficacy of these medicines,” he pointed out.
The administration senator pointed out that the government has been exploring multiple sources of COVID-19 vaccines to ensure access of Filipinos to safe and effective vaccines to overcome the ongoing pandemic.
President Duterte, he said, has also signed Executive Order No. 121 last Dec. 2, 2020, which allows the director-general of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the COVID-19 drugs and vaccines to expedite the process of approving the use of COVID-19 vaccines from abroad.
Vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez, Jr. had earlier indicated that Pfizer-BioNTech has already applied for the EUA.
Both Oxford-AstraZeneca and Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute, had also applied for the EUA where the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Vaccine Expert Panel and the FDA will make initial data examinations.
Go said other vaccines eligible to apply for EUA in the Philippines are Sinopharm, Sinovac, Moderna, and Bharat Biotech.
The lawmaker said he hopes that the Senate Committee of the Whole’s inquiry on the status of the national COVID-19 vaccine plan scheduled on Jan. 11 will give authorities time to maximize the opportunity to explain to the public the steps being taken and the plans to overcome the ongoing pandemic.
“As President Duterte said, we are not safe until everyone is safe. If there is a safe and approved vaccine, let’s prioritize the vulnerable sectors including frontliners, so we can return to our normal life,” Go reiterated.