The prices of COVID-19 vaccines came from the DOH, according to Senator Angara
Senator Sonny Angara on Friday clarified that the prices of the COVID-19 vaccines were furnished to their office by the Department of Health (DOH).
In a brief manifestation on Committee of the Whole’s hearing on the Philippine government’s vaccination program last Friday, Senator Angara said that the prices of COVID-19 vaccines that he made available to the public were furnished to their office and to the Senate Committee on Finance during the budget deliberations around late November or early December by the Department of Health.
Senator Angara, who was also the chairperson of the finance committee, also said that they had no personal knowledge of these prices and they had not contacted the vaccine manufacturers.
Last December, Senator Angara bared a list of available COVID-19 vaccines worldwide and showed the price of China’s Sinovac at PHP 3,629 for two doses.
The price of China’s Sinovac for two COVID-19 vaccine doses was more expensive compared to Pfizer-BioNTech at PHP 2,379, Russia’s Gamaleya at PHP 1,220, AstraZeneca at PHP 610, and Novavax at PHP 366.
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In a report on GMA News Online, several lawmakers called on the government to reconsider the purchase of China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine doses because it was allegedly “more costly and less effective”.
COVID-19 response officials Vince Dizon and Carlito Galvez said that the Philippines may still turn its back on 25 million COVID-19 vaccine doses manufactured by China’s Sinovac.
Dizon explained that the Philippine government won’t purchase and won’t administer the COVID-19 vaccine if the vaccine expert panel didn’t recommend a certain vaccine.
He also said that the vaccine expert panel had only included the seven COVID-19 vaccines — including China’s Sinovac — in the portfolio of possible COVID-19 vaccines to be procured and used based on an initial review of the vaccine data.
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