Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr. confirmed on Wednesday the signing of indemnification agreement with Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines under the COVAX Facility.
Once the agreement is signed by the vaccine manufacturers, the first batch of vaccine doses will start arriving in the country. The initial scheduled arrival of 117,000 Pfizer vaccines on February 15 was delayed due to the absence of an indemnification law.
Under the indemnification agreement, the government will be held accountable in case of adverse effects on the vaccine recipient.
“Iyon po ang hinihingi ng vaccine manufacturers kasi nakita natin napakalaki ng takot ng mga manufacturers sa Dengvaxia (That is what vaccine manufacturers are asking for because they have apprehensions caused by the Denvaxia [controversy]),” Galvez expained.
“Dahil kasi po nagkaroon tayo ng tinatawag na pagkakamali na hindi nailagay ang tinatawag na informed consent at wala po tayong law o agreement na nagbibigay ng protection sa mga manufacturer (There was a lapse in including the informed consent and there is no law or agreement providing protection to the manufacturer),” Galvez elucidated.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri assured that the Senate is now fast tracking the passing of the Indemnification Law.
“We scheduled it first hour this afternoon. Matatapos namin ito mamayang hapon (We will finish it this afternoon). We commit that… Kung ma-certify as urgent ng Malacañang, pwedeng ma-second and third reading kaagad ngayong hapon (If certified as urgent by Malacañang, we can do the second and third reading immediately this afternoon),” Zubiri assured.
According to NTF Against Covid-19 Deputy Chief Implementer Vince Dizon, an indemnification agreement is a standard practice for all COVID-19 vaccines since they are still in the trial stage with few brands granted emergency use approval. Only Pfizer and AstraZeneca have so far been granted emergency use authorization in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the health department assured that the government is already looking for supplies of low dead space syringe although Pfizer vaccines from COVAX are already “packaged with these dead space syringe.”
– Report from Mark Fetalco
