Private companies want to import Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for the children of their employees, a Palace adviser said Tuesday.
“Government has ordered a lot for its own use and LGUs (local government units) but the private sector would like to see how we can bring in Pfizer so that eventually we can use this for our children,” said Joey Concepcion, presidential adviser on entrepreneurship, in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo.
“Although (vaccine czar) Secretary (Carlito) Galvez said they’re planning to inoculate children starting September, October, we’d like to participate if they will allow a tripartite agreement so we can also help the children of our employees,” he said.
As the number of pediatric COVID-19 cases rises, children must be included in the vaccination effort, Concepcion said.
“I understand government has a priority sector where they have to prioritize highly vulnerable people, but the children right now will have to play into this equation because we don’t want to see our kids going to the hospitals, going to the ICUs (intensive care units) being intubated and all of that,” he said.
In June, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 12 and older.
At least 22.7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses are expected to be delivered this month as the government ramps up its inoculation drive against the coronavirus particularly with the detection of a more infectious variant.
Galvez said the country is expecting the deliveries of vaccines made by AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, Sinovac, and Sinopharm. Galvez, who is also the chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, said China’s Sinopharm will donate one million doses of COVID-19 vaccine which is expected to arrive on Aug. 21.
Sinovac Biotech will also deliver 3 million doses in the fourth week, while Pfizer and Moderna will send 727,850 and 2.2 million doses, respectively. These shipments are part of vaccine procurement of the government and the private sector.
Also, 3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX vaccine-sharing program will be delivered to the country this month, Galvez said.
The government has so far administered 24.4 million COVID-19 vaccine jabs, with more than 13 million people getting the initial dose and 11.3 million people receiving the full dose.
In Metro Manila, Galvez reported the government has administered 9.17 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine as of Aug. 8. Around 50.91 percent of the targeted population in the National Capital Region received the first dose of the jab.
The vaccine czar noted, however, that the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Soccsksargen, and Central Visayas posted low COVID-19 vaccination rates, with only about 10 percent of the population getting full protection.
Galvez said the next supplies of Sinovac vaccines this month – to be delivered in batches of 3 million, 2 million, and 4 million doses – will be allocated to the provinces.
“Our plan here is to give it to different provinces so that all our provinces can have equitable distribution,” Galvez said in Filipino during the COVID-19 situation briefing with President Duterte on Monday night.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, meanwhile, warned of disciplinary action against employers who will not let their employees report to work just because they are not vaccinated.
Bello reiterated the warning that unvaccinated workers should still be able to go to work and should not be discriminated against.
He also encouraged the workers to be vaccinated and not to be afraid, saying the vaccines are harmless and that it is not mandatory, but it is necessary.
“There is no legal basis for the employers to compel their workers to be vaccinated… in fact it’s a violation of freedom of choice… as guaranteed by the Constitution… in fact it is an illegal policy,” Bello said.
He said workers can report their employers through the department’s Hotline 1349.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), meanwhile, said it is now evaluating the application of Russian firm Gamaleya for an emergency use authorization (EUA) for its Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine, which is designed to be effective even with just one dose.
“There is an additional vaccine called Sputnik Light… which has applied for an EUA here in the Philippines and is now being evaluated by our vaccine experts,” said FDA Director General Eric Domingo in a Cabinet briefing.
In May 2021, Russian health officials approved the single-shot version of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.
According to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Sputnik Light showed 79.4 percent efficacy compared to 91.6 percent for the two-shot Sputnik V.
Also on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Hong Kong authorities will not recognize the vaccination cards issued by the Philippines’ local government units and the Department of Health’s Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ).
“Our vaccination cards are not accepted in Hong Kong because they are not connected to a single source. Poor OFWs going to their jobs in Hong Kong even if jabbed,” Locsin posted on his Twitter account.
This means that the deployment of nearly 3,000 overseas Filipino workers would be put on hold until the Philippine government rolls out the issuance of vaccination cards to those fully-inoculated, including OFWs.
The Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong earlier said about 3,000 OFWs with pending work in the former Crown Colony have been stranded in the Philippines following the surge in COVID-19 cases in recent months that necessitated the implementation of travel restrictions.
Reports showed that the Hong Kong government has already lifted the ban provided that returning OFWs can present a “recognized” vaccination card upon arrival in Hong Kong.
The Philippine government is also seeking clarification from Hong Kong authorities on the actual number of quarantine days that a fully vaccinated OFW will have to go through. The Hong Kong International Airport website indicates that an arriving passenger will be subject to a 21-day quarantine period.
Nonetheless, Locsin expressed optimism that DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan will “get the job done right” in issuing vaccination certificates to OFWs who were not able to return to their work abroad due to global travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.