PGH doctors ask for Sinovac vaccine appraisal

Doctors from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) are requesting an appraisal of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine by the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) before its administration.

Senator Francis Pangilinan supports this call, emphasizing the need for science-based information and urging Dr. Marita Reyes of HTAC to prevent political interference in their decision.

Pangilinan stated that the PGH doctors are the best and their concerns should be listened to, adding that no vaccine, whether purchased or donated, should be exempted from review.

Meanwhile, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go noted that PGH officials now have a choice of vaccines with the arrival of 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX facility.

President Duterte remains committed to using Sinovac to avoid delaying the vaccination program, but Go assured that vaccination is voluntary and the AstraZeneca doses are sufficient for frontliners who wish to be vaccinated.