The Department of Health has urged local government units to adopt “brand agnosticism”—to refrain from publicly announcing the brand of COVID-19 vaccines that would be used—to avoid crowding at vaccination areas. The brand would only be disclosed at the site.
This developed as residents, even without appointments, flocked to various sites in Manila and Parañaque earlier this month for the chance to get inoculated with the vaccine from Pfizer. There have been 193,050 Pfizer doses delivered through the Covax facility of the World Health Organization.
Long lines for the jabs and prolonged exposure to crowds could, ironically, become potential superspreader events.
Public acceptance varies across brands, as the efficacy rates of the vaccines also differ. According to the Department of Health website, Pfizer has a 95-percent efficacy rate. Others are as follow: AstraZeneca, 70.4 percent; Sinovac, 65 percent to 91 percent; Gamaleya, 91.6 percent; Janssen, 66.9 percent; Bharat, 80.6 percent; Moderna, 94.1 percent.
Meanwhile, the bulk of the vaccines that have been delivered and administered here have been from Sinovac (1 million doses donated, 4.5 million procured) and AstraZeneca (2,556,000 through Covax). Some 30,000 doses of Gamaleya Sputnik have also been procured.
The government has warned the people against being “choosy” with their vaccines. But what is wrong with being choosy, especially since under the principle of informed consent, we have to know exactly what is being introduced into our bodies?
Even then, according to a Social Weather Stations survey released last week, just three in 10 Filipinos are willing to avail themselves of a free vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration, if they had the opportunity. Another third of respondents were unwilling to be vaccinated while the rest are not sure. Meanwhile, over half of the respondents said they were confident that government experts are thoroughly evaluating the vaccines to be used against COVID-19.
Among those willing—desperate, really—to get vaccinated, the vaccines could not arrive soon enough. COVID-19 poses a continuing menace to all of us, and we have resigned ourselves to the national government’s underwhelming response to the crisis. We know that while we may have a preference as to brand and while we are entitled to know beforehand what vaccine we are getting, the best course of action is to get the first vaccine available. Ultimately, this is better than having no protection while waiting without certainty.
We are told not to be choosy, but at this point we have no choice but to make the most of what we have—given the hardships in the global vaccine market and our own officials’ shortcomings in ensuring a better managed vaccine rollout program.