Senators have mixed reactions on the approval of Sinovac's vaccine for use in the country's immunization against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Monday, February 22, he was "fine" with using the COVID-19 vaccine developed by drugmaker Sinovac Biotech, which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had just granted with an emergency use authorization (EUA).

He said he prefers receiving the Chinese-made vaccines since its administration would supposedly require less human intervention and would save the government resources.

"I'm fine with that. I prefer Sinovac or Sinopharm. Those are the two vaccines with no human intervention or possible human error because it's one-vial, one-dose and syringe is attached," Sotto said in a text message, referring to the vaccines' packaging.

"The others are five-dose vials that has to be diluted and dispensed very carefully to avoid overdose or underdose. Then we have to buy syringes separately. I hope people realize that," he added.

On the other hand, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said that he will not choose Sinovac's vaccine.

"Based on my research, I would prefer other brands," he said.

Recto added that the FDA's reservations about Sinovac's vaccines "may not breed confidence for people to get vaccinated."

Despite the EUA, the FDA did not recommend Sinovac's vaccines for use of health workers and senior citizens due to its low efficacy during the clinical trials.

But FDA chief Eric Domingo said it can be used for healthy individuals aged 18 to 59 years old.

Senator Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara said he hopes that the Department of Health (DOH), the FDA and other concerned government bodies "are doing their utmost to protect Filipinos with the arrival of these vaccines given that they are under emergency use authorisation and have not undergone full clinical trials as of yet."

"They are guardians of Filipinos safety and health in this time of COVID and we hope they will be up to the hugely important task," he added.

Senator Joel Villanueva also said that scientists and health workers should vouch for the safety of the vaccines to be administered to the population.

"If Sinovac is not recommend for health workers, are we not practicing 'class vaccination' by giving it to others? 'Di ba dapat (Should't it be that), doctors should only be injecting to others what they have tried on themselves?" he raised."Dapat mayroon pong malinaw na paliwanag para maintindihan ng kung sino man ang mga tatatanggap ng bakuna. Nasa patient's rights po itong access to full information (There should be a clear explanation so that everybody would understand these exceptions before they receive the vaccines. It is within the patient's rights to give them access to full information)," he said.

"Scientific data should be the primary basis when accrediting vaccines," Villanueva pointed out.

China had asked for an EUA before delivering to the Philippines its donation of 600,000 doses of Sinovac's vaccine.

Malacanang earlier said that its arrival was set for Tuesday, February 23.