FDA grants EUA to Sinovac vaccine

The Philippine FDA has granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine, making it the third vaccine to receive such approval in the country.

FDA Director General Rolando Enrique D. Domingo announced the EUA, stating that the benefit of using the vaccine outweighs the known and potential risk.

World leaders such as Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo have been administered Sinovac shots, according to vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.

Sinovac's vaccine has demonstrated varying efficacy rates in clinical trials, with a 91.2% efficacy rate reported in Turkey.

However, due to an efficacy rate of 50.4% among health workers in Brazil, the FDA initially recommended against its use for medical frontliners, though FDA chief Eric Domingo later clarified that health workers can still choose to get vaccinated with Sinovac's jab.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III stated that indications for Sinovac's use may change based on the results of the national immunization technical advisory group's discussions.

Despite some concerns, health experts advocate for vaccination, stating that any available vaccine is better than none.