Taytay, Rizal—Taking cue from a consensus of other local governments, this town is veering away from a COVID-19 vaccine that has low efficacy and instead opted to go for AstraZeneca brand which was found to have a remarkable level of potency.
In its social media post, Taytay Mayor Joric Gacula hinted on buying AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, which has been the top preference of local folks.
AstraZeneca’s first full peer-reviewed results of phase 3 trials of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University manifested up to 90% efficiency in preventing infection, supporting regulatory submissions for emergency use.
Likewise considered by the LGU is the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine which was found to have scientifically proven 94% efficacy rate.
Sought to elaborate on the LGU’s choice, Gacula cited reasons behind their choice.
The top basis, he averred, is the public consensus, which he hinted as essential in convincing their constituents to agree on submitting themselves for inoculation.
“We find it necessary for the constituents to have confidence on the type of vaccine that would be injected to them. It doesn’t take an expert to understand where our local folks are coming from, especially after reports backed by science, came out – particularly on efficacy and potential risks.
Coming from a family of doctors, the local chief executive explained that they are not bent on gambling local funds on a vaccine brand that doesn’t guarantee results – without necessarily mentioning brands of low-efficacy vaccines.
“We took the recommendation of our local medical community of significant value before we made our decision,” added Gacula.
The local government has also identified several cold storage facilities seen to preserve its potency, as well as vaccination centers.
“We already have cold storage facilities here in Taytay. We are also in the process of setting-up local vaccination centers, which would be equipped with observation and recovery areas.”
Gacula, himself a COVID-19 survivor, earlier hinted on a P300-million allocation to buy vaccines for their constituents.