By Christine Fabro
The Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has included the donated Sinopharm vaccines by the Chinese government in its list of emergency use authorization (EUA) of COVID-19 vaccines on Monday, June 7.
FDA Director-General Eric Domingo announced this, alongside a newly approved Japan-manufactured mRNA vaccine for World Health Organization (WHO) EUA, during a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday night.
The EUA covers the batch of 1,000 Sinopharm that the Chinese government donated to the Philippines.
“Noong May 20, [Department of Health] Secretary [Francisco] Duque [III] wrote to FDA that they were willing to accept donations for Sinopharm coming from China,” the FDA Chief said.
The Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine was approved for EUA by the WHO on May 7.
Duterte was inoculated with China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine on May 3, prior to its listing to the EUA.
He later took full responsibility for choosing to be vaccinated with Sinopharm that was yet to be confirmed as safe and effective, but claimed that the vaccine was made legal under a compassionate use permit.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed on Tuesday, June 8, that the President has not received its second dose of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, five weeks after he was administered with the first dose. – rir
