As the Indonesia incident threatened to erode public confidence on the efficacy of Sinovac against 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection, a representative of land-based overseas Filipino workers (OFW) organization called on the country’s vaccination rollout managers to exempt them from jabs of the China-made vaccine brand.
Raquel Bracero, president of the Philippine Association of Service Exporters Inc. aired the appeal during the briefing on the vaccination program that was conducted by the House Committee on OFW Affairs on Wednesday, June 17.
This developed amid reports that over 100 Indonesian doctors have contracted COVID-19 despite getting Sinovac jabs. Dozens among them have reportedly been hospitalized.
Bracero said Sinovac, which is the brand steadily supplied by government to Filipinos, is not included among the vaccines preferred by many country of destination of land-based Filipino workers.
“We cannot deny the fact that not all vaccine brands are created equal. There are certain brands that are not preferred,” said Bracero during the briefing presided over by TUCP Partylist Rep. Raymond DC Mendoza.
“May we raise our concern with regards to the vaccine preference which are limited to Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson and Astra Zeneca,” Bracero told the House panel.
She noted that these are preferred by host countries of land based OFWs, including European and Middle East nations.
According to her OFWs who received Sinovac jabs are made to undergo longer quarantine period of up to 21 days while those who had the preferred brands either undergo less than seven days of isolation or allowed to directly proceed to their work destination.
Some countries, she disclosed, do not impose quarantine protocols for those who received the preferred vaccine brands.
Bracero lamented that OFWs sent to quarantine areas are not paid by their respective employers while not reporting for work.
“Inasmuch as we want them vaccinated with Sinovac, parang hindi pa rin sila vaccinated (it is as though they have not been vaccinated),” Bracero said.
Responding to the issues raised by Bracero, Dr. Joel Buenaventura of the Migrant Health Unit of Department of Health assured land based OFWs that their concerns are being addressed by government even as he pointed out that the “whole vaccination process” is quite “complicated.”