The efficacy of the Sinovac vaccine against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) will not be affected even if the administration of the second dose will be delayed, a member of the Vaccine Experts Panel (VEP) said on Tuesday, June 29.
“Alam natin na itong mga bakuna natin ngayon na dumarating kagaya ng Sinovac, dapat dalawang dose ang ibibigay natin in a specified interval in terms of first dose and second dose (We know that these vaccines that we have now like Sinovac, we should give two doses at a specified interval in terms of first dose and second dose),” said Department of Science and Technology's (DOST) VEP member Dr. Rontgene Solante in a televised briefing.
“Kagaya ng Sinovac, dapat four weeks ang interval. Now, kung made-delay man iyan, hindi pa rin iyan makaapekto doon sa efficacy (Like Sinovac, the interval should be four weeks. Now, even if that is delayed, it will still not affect its efficacy),” he added.
On June 25, Solante said the delay in the interval between the two doses of COVID-19 vaccines will still be safe as long as the delay will not go beyond six months.
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The Taguig local government announced last June 28 that it will “temporarily” suspend all Sinovac vaccinations for the first and second dose under the A1 to A4 categories.
“We will resume as soon as we receive the proper documents from the Department of Health for the latest shipment of vaccines, which we already have in our cold storage facility," it said in a statement.