The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clarified that the Sinovac vaccine can be used on healthcare workers.
In a public briefing, FDA Director General Eric Domingo pointed out that healthcare workers can still choose to be vaccinated using the Sinovac vaccine. However, it is not recommended due to its low efficacy rate on workers often exposed to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.
“Hindi po natin sinasabing bawal. Hindi po siya contraindication. Ang sinasabi po natin, ang recommendation natin is that maybe tingnan po ng pamahalaan kung ibibigay rin siya sa healthcare workers lalo na yung nagtri-treat ng patients with COVID-19 knowing that the efficacy rate is a little lower in this group. So di po siya bawal. Actually kung ang healthcare worker, gusto na po niyang tanggapin ito, maaari po yun (We are not saying it’s prohibited. It’s not a contraindication. What we are saying is, our recommendation is that maybe our government should look into giving it to our healthcare workers especially those who treat COVID-19 patients knowing that the efficacy rate is a little lower in this group. So it is not forbidden. Actually, if a healthcare worker wants to get vaccinated, it is possible).”
The FDA also assured that the efficacy rate of the said vaccine is higher when used on individuals aged 18 to 59 in the community. Report from Mark Fetalco
