The CoronaVac developed by China’s Sinovac which is expected to arrive in the country on Sunday is effective in preventing severe symptoms of COVID-19, according to experts.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently reported that the efficacy rate of the vaccine is at 50.4 percent only for healthcare workers who are constantly exposed to the virus. However, its efficacy based on the clinical trials conducted in Turkey and Indonesia among healthy individuals 18 to 59 years-old is around 65 to 91 percent.
“Overall efficacy is 50.3 percent but among those that have more severe disease, so moderate disease 78 percent and for severe disease, 100 percent,” resident epidemiologist Dr. John Wong clarified.
“It is a safe vaccine. There is no safety issue as far as this vaccine is concerned. I would even say that considering that it’s an inactivated vaccine without the allergenic components, it can be safer,” Dr. Marissa Alejandria of the DOH-TAG assured.
The side effects reported on the said vaccine are only mild to moderate. The World Health Organization (WHO) affirmed it contains inactivated virus which creates strong antibody response. The storage temperature requirement for CoronaVac is between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius.
Aside from the donated 600,000 doses of CoronaVac, the Philippines also sealed the deal for 25 million more doses.
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire disclosed that there is no requirement for a specialized syringe for the vaccine. – Report from Mark Fetalco
