The Ministry of Health (DOH) assured the public that information about coronavirus vaccines and the type of shot to be offered to people will still be given to people while they are at vaccination sites.
The health department made the statement Thursday, May 20, after criticizing its request to local authorities (LGUs) not to disclose in advance what vaccines will be offered in certain locations.
The Secretary of State for Health Myrna Cabotaje made the suggestion in a virtual briefing on Wednesday May 19, saying the health department wanted to avoid a recurrence of incidents where hundreds of locations in Metro Manila queued to get Pfizer’s vaccine.
In an official statement Thursday, the DOH denied arguments that failing to advertise vaccine brands on offer did not conflict with a patient’s right to be allocated know what vaccine he would be taking. Several steps in the vaccination process still insured informed consent, he added. (For more information on the steps on the vaccination site, see here.)
“If it is not disclosed which brand will be available at vaccination sites, people’s right to be informed about the vaccine they have taken will not be lost as the vaccination process includes on-site vaccine education, proper record keeping with vaccination cards and monitoring for adverse events, « the DOH said.
Prior to the DOH proposal, several local governments had already observed the practice not to disclose what vaccines will be offered in certain locations while others informed their constituents about what shot they would be offered with their scheduled vaccinations.
Following the DOH proposal, people can now expect to know what vaccines will be offered to them once they arrive at specific vaccination centers for their scheduled shot.
The DOH further explained its request to LGUs, saying, Vaccine brands should not be used to build public confidence, as all vaccines approved for emergency use in the Philippines have been shown to be safe and effective against COVID-19. Emergency vaccines made available and cleared by the Food and Drug Administration have also been assessed by several vaccine expert groups in the country. « Safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines are based on the latest available data and scientific knowledge from global clinical studies. All vaccines currently available in the country are safe, effective and have been shown to reduce the risk of serious illness and prevent death after completing the required doses, « the DOH said.
This was confirmed by Interior Minister Eduardo Año, who urged people to stop receive the vaccine that is already available to them. In early 2020, Año had contracted COVID-19 twice and returned to work on April 16 after an extended medical vacation to recover from the illness.
Under Año, the Department of Home Affairs and Local Government (DILG) ordered the LGUs not to announce in advance the brand of vaccines that will be used in certain vaccination centers.
Año said the measure was necessary to prevent long lines and crowds from becoming « mass gatherings » in vaccination centers, and added that a person’s right to know is still respected.
« The person is informed of the brand at the vaccination center and has to give informed consent, but if they refuse, they have to go back to the bottom of the line « He said in a separate statement.
» We need to educate people to overcome branding preference. All FDA approved vaccines are (under) the emergency approval…. All of them prevent hospitalization or critical illness from COVID. That’s important, « Año added.
Since the state’s coronavirus vaccine campaign started on March 1, some Filipinos have preferred to wait for vaccine brands that advertise » better « rates of effectiveness against COVID-19. </ However, medical experts and scientists have emphasized that the effectiveness of vaccines against symptomatic COVID-19 is difficult to compare across brands due to a number of factors and that all vaccines available to date meet the critical criteria for reducing hospital stays and deaths from the disease. – Rappler.com
Sofia Tomacruz covers foreign affairs and is the main reporter for the coronavirus pandemic. She also writes stories about the treatment of women and children.
Follow her on Twitter via @sofiatomacruz. Email to [email protected].
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