BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR and GERARD NAVAL
LOCAL government units (LGUs) that received vaccines made by the Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech from the June 24 delivery can resume vaccinating their residents as the certificate of analysis (COA) for the CoronaVac vaccine has been released, the National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 said yesterday.
Vaccine centers in Taguig and Manila cities suspended the use of Sinovac the other day due to lack of COA which is issued after the vaccines has undergone analysis to ensure its quality.
The country has received 12 million doses of vaccine from Sinovac since February. The national vaccination program for COVID-19 started on March 1.
Vince Dizon, NTF deputy implementer and testing czar, said the Sinovac delivery on June 28 is still undergoing analysis.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said 439 vaccinees, or 0.005% of the total, were infected with COVID-19, including 68 who have completed the two doses.
“It is true that there are a few who get COVID-19 even after getting their first dose,” said FDA Director General Eric Domingo.
“But for those that get COVID-19 even after getting their second dose, there are fewer and all of them are already mild ones, don’t get hospitalized, do not die,” he added.
The country has vaccinated at least 10 million people as of last Sunday. It targets to vaccinate 50 million to 70 million by the end of the year.
Records show that among the 6,253,400 individuals with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines, there were 371 vaccinees that were infected, including 11 deaths.
Among the 2,153,942 fully vaccinated individuals, the FDA said 68 got COVID-19, with no deaths.
Domingo said the data only proves what they have been saying from the start regarding COVID-19 vaccines.
“There is no 100 percent efficacy for vaccines… (however), we seem to be preventing a lot of infection among vaccinated people. The vaccines really work and that we really should get vaccinated as soon as it is available in our community,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of completing the two doses of COVID-19 vaccines “because we can really see the improved protection between those with first dose only and those who got their second doses.”
He also said observing minimum health standards remain important for those that have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
