As some countries plan to reopen borders to fully vaccinated travelers, the government is hoping the brand of the coronavirus vaccine would not matter in global travel.
According to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, there was no basis for any discrimination on the vaccine brands taken by international travelers especially if these have secured approval from global health authorities.
Roque was reacting to reports that some European countries were considering barring the entry of travelers vaccinated with Chinese-made coronavirus vaccines.
"Wala pong basehan iyang ganyang mga balita kasi kakasabi lang ni Dr. Rabi (Abeyasinghe) na sa parte po ng WHO (World Health Organization) ay sinasama naman po nila ang mga Chinese brands sa kanilang emergency use list. Sa katunayan, nasa listahan na ang Sinopharm at mayroon lang hinihintay na dokumento para po sa Sinovac (Those reports have no basis because Dr. Rabi said WHO has included Chinese brands in the emergency use list. In fact, the list includes Sinopharm and they're waiting for some documents for Sinovac," Roque said during a televised press briefing Monday, May 24.
"Hindi ko po maisip kung bakit hindi tatanggapin ng EU at iba pang mga bansa ang kahit anong bakuna na nasa listahan po ng WHO mismo (I cannot imagine why EU and other countries will not accept any vaccines that are already included in the list of the WHO)," he added.
The European Union reportedly plans to ease travel restrictions and allow fully vaccinated visitors to the 27-nation bloc. Non-essential travel to the EU has been prohibited since March last year.
Reports said under the proposed new rules, travelers who received the EU-approved vaccines such as those made by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson could enter the bloc. An EU member nation could also decide if it will admit travelers vaccinated with those approved by WHO. The proposed travel measures have yet to be approved by the EU authorities.
Early this month, WHO validated the safety and efficacy of the Sinopharm jab, that can be administered in two doses to people aged 18 and over. The WHO previously approved the vaccines made by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna to help combat the coronavirus illness.
In the Philippines, the government's pandemic task force has already created a small group to study and formulate new protocols for the inbound international travel of fully vaccinated individuals. The study group will be chaired by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and co-chaired by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The latest move came as the government gradually eased movement curbs and stepped up vaccination to curb the spread of the virus in the country.
At present, the government requires all travelers regardless of vaccination status to undergo quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in the country. The first 10 days shall be observed in a quarantine facility with the remainder to be completed under home quarantine in their respective local government units of destination.
Incoming passengers are also required to take a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test on the seventh day of quarantine. The facility-based quarantine must be completed regardless of a negative test result.