Duque said that he had ordered the DOH to seek EUA for Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Saturday had ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to seek emergency use authorization (EUA) for Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine.
Following the arrival of 2 million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses in the Philippines, Duque said that he had ordered the Department of Health to seek emergency use clearance for the said vaccine so that the Philippines won’t have to return a batch of donations from China.
An emergency use authorization would allow a COVID-19 vaccine under development to be used for the national government’s vaccination program.
Duque made the announcement after the World Health Organization listed the said vaccine for emergency use. Sinopharm was the first COVID-19 vaccine developed by a non-Western country to win WHO backing.
READ ALSO: WHO Lists Sinopharm COVID-19 Vaccine For Emergency Use
President Rodrigo Duterte received his first dose of the China-made Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine last Monday.
His aides earlier said that the dose was covered by the “compassionate use license” the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued last February for the Presidential Security Group (PSG) and the said permit was good for 10,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses.
The Food and Drug Administration had warned that the doctor who requested the compassionate use permit would be liable for any of the vaccine’s side effects as it was yet to be studied by the Philippine experts.
Because of this, President Duterte on Wednesday said that he already told Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian to “withdraw” the donation of 1,000 Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine doses from China.
The President, however, didn’t say when the jabs were delivered to the Philippines.
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