Gov't targets vaccinating 1.4M health workers in a month

The Philippine government aims to vaccinate over 1.4 million health workers against COVID-19 within a month.

Sinovac's vaccine, which arrived in the Philippines on February 28, has an efficacy rate of 65% to 91% for healthy individuals aged 18 to 59 but only 50.4% for healthcare workers.

Despite initial concerns and recommendations against its use for health workers, the IATF-EID approved Sinovac's vaccine for front-line medical staff on February 26.

The DOH’s National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) agreed to recommend Sinovac vaccines for health workers after reviewing unpublished trial data.

PGH doctors advocate for further appraisal by HTAC before administering Sinovac to healthcare workers, citing the need for prudence and transparency.