An official of the Department of Health said all vaccines for the Covid-19 that are available in the country are effective in preventing serious infections.
DOH Usec. Maria Rosario Vergeire said real-world studies have shown that receiving two doses of any of the vaccines available locally prevents “hospitalizations, deaths, and even symptomatic infections.”
“We already have real-world data showing that all those inoculated with the vaccines we have here in the country – there are articles regarding these vaccines – are effective,” Vergeire said.
She said all vaccines are equally effective and have gone through the same stringent regulatory process.
She said the previous difference in the efficacy of these vaccines was based on clinical trials that were done at the outset and has since been superseded by real-world data.
“So, bigyan po natin ng kumpyansa lahat ng bakuna. Hindi po natin kailangan mamili kung ano po ang nandiyan. ‘Yan na po ang pinaka-magaling at pinaka-mabisa na bakuna para sa inyo,” Vergeire said.
She said while local government units have been told to refrain from announcing the available brand of vaccines at inoculation sites, DOH staff and other health care workers at these establishments would still inform their patients of the vaccine brand before administering it.
She said the policy against announcing the brand of vaccines available at vaccination sites was meant to prevent repeat incidents of crowding.
“That was very, very dangerous – ‘yung nakita po nating pag-crowd sa vaccination sites for the past days – kasi nagkaroon ng announcement for the vaccination sites kaya dinumog tayo ng ating mga kababayan ,” Vergeire said.
She said the public must also refrain from going to a vaccination site, hoping to get a walk-in appointment, as the DOH’s “master listing” procedure would provide everyone with their allotted schedule.
“Wag muna kayong pupunta sa mga vaccination sites so that you could protect yourself also at hindi po kayo makasama dun sa crowding na nangyayari kapag po ganito,” Vergeire said.
Earlier, the Department of the Interior and Local Government ordered local government units to stop announcing the brands used in its Covid-19 immunization program due to reports of crowding in sites offering the Pfizer vaccine. – PNA
