ILOILO City – The Department of Health (DOH) brushed off a social media post deriding the safety and efficacy of China-made Sinovac vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), particularly on persons with comorbidities.
According to the DOH, the viral post was made by a “doctor” from Hong Kong.
The user said he was “reposting China’s guidelines for Sinovac vaccination.”
Part of the post says: “Reminding all netizens to consider the guidelines set by Beijing’s vaccine Prevention Center before taking any vaccine, whether for your own sake or for your family’s. A gentle reminder from Hong Kong Specialist: Those who suffer stroke is [sic] not advisable to take the vaccine.”
DOH dismissed this as “fake news” and urged the public to always verify information with legitimate sources.
It then released the following “myth busters”:
* Sinovac vaccine can be given to individuals aged 18 years old and above with controlled comorbidities such as chronic respiratory disease, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, cerebrosvascular disease, malignancy, diabetes, obesity, chronic liver disease, neurologic disease and immunodeficiency states.
* For other diseases or health conditions like autoimmune disease, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), cancer, transplant patients, on steroid treatment, and bedridden patients, among others, a medical clearance is needed prior to vaccination.
* Sinovac can also be administered to those who received blood products like convalescent plasma for COVID-19 after 90 days.
* Sinovac can also be used to those who got a flu vaccine or other immunization after 14 days.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted an emergency use authorization to Sinovac vaccine on Feb. 22 this year.
“As per the evaluation of the Philippine FDA, and concurred by expert groups, the safety profile for clinically healthy individuals aged 18-59 years old is good,” the DOH said.
“Adverse events were mild to moderate, and the possibility of allergy or anaphylaxis is minimal,” it added.
DOH emphasized that vaccines are important, and these give an additional layer of protection against COVID-19.
many residents of lloilo City backed out from their Aug. 19 scheduled vaccination after learning that the jabs available for inoculation was Sinovac.
Jeck Conlu, spokesperson of the Iloilo City COVID-19 Team, said this prompted the city to open the vaccination for “walk-ins” including those from Iloilo province, whether pre-registered or not.
“So gin-open ta para sa gusto ‘ya magpa-vaccine. Damo man gusto galing wala sila matagaan ticket,” Conlu said.
The walk-ins were only required to bring a valid proof of identification.
He appealed to those who were given vaccination tickets to follow their schedule.
Mayor Jerry Treñas, on the other hand, lamented about some people being picky.
“May mga pumoluyo kita nga nagapili pa sang bakuna. Aton dapat pasudlon sa ulo ta we are getting the best vaccines, and the best vaccines are what’s available,” he said.
Treñas ordered that every Thursday of the week should be dedicated to people intending to get vaccinated for free against COVID-19 in all the city’s inoculation sites.
“We need to vaccinate as many as we can. The Delta variant is more infectious and more virulent,” said Treñas. “As long as we have the vaccines, we will open our vaccination centers to all interested persons.”/PN