(File photo)
MANILA – Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo on Wednesday vouched for the effectiveness of China's Sinovac vaccines in protecting people against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
This, after hundreds of Indonesian healthcare workers have reportedly acquired Covid-19 despite getting inoculated with these vaccines.
Panelo said Sinovac’s vaccines against Covid-19, just like other jabs developed by other pharmaceutical firms in other countries, are effective in reducing coronavirus symptoms.
“Effective lahat iyan. Basta bakuna hindi ka mamamatay niyan kapag dinapuan ka at hindi ka madadala sa ospital kung ika’y talagang nabakunahan ng dalawang beses (All vaccines are effective. In case you get infected, you will not die or you will not go to the hospital, so long as you received the two vaccine shots),” Panelo said in his commentary program "Counterpoint".
Indonesia’s health officials have revealed that over 350 medical workers contracted Covid-19 despite getting injected with CoronaVac vaccines.
Dozens of the infected health workers in Indonesia reportedly have high fever and low oxygen saturation levels.
Panelo defended Sinovac’s effectiveness, citing that no one in the Philippines who received the vaccines have died or experienced side effects after getting vaccinated.
“Eh ang Sinovac, hindi ba dito sa atin, ang daming naturukan. May narinig ba kayo na may namatay? Wala. Wala kayong naririnig na nagkaroon ng aberya o side effects (Many of us here have received Sinovac vaccines. Have you heard any report that someone died because of the vaccine? None. There is likewise no report that they experienced side effects),” he said.
Panelo, nevertheless, said it is not surprising for vaccinated people to acquire Covid-19, since the vaccines do not give full protection against the coronavirus.
“Eh di ba sinasabi naman sa atin, kapag nabakunahan ka, hindi ibig sabihin eh libre ka na (When you get vaccinated, that does not mean you are already coronavirus-free),” he said.
Panelo said individuals who are already fully-vaccinated still need to be careful amid the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic.
He said everyone should continue to follow minimum public health standards, especially now that the new variants of the coronavirus are more infectious compared to the original variant.
“Kaya nga ‘di ba kahit na nakabakuna tayo, sinasabihan tayong magsuot pa rin kayo ng face mask, face shield, maghugas ng kamay, mag-observe ng two-meter distance (That’s why we are telling everyone who already received the vaccines to continue wearing face mask and face shield, wash their hands, and observe two-meter distance),” Panelo said.
Despite doubts about the Sinovac vaccines’ effectiveness, the Department of Health has assured the public that Sinovac jabs remain effective in preventing severe Covid-19 symptoms or coronavirus-related deaths.
The Philippines has so far received a total of 9 million Sinovac vaccine doses.
It is also expecting the delivery of another 1.5 million doses of Sinovac vaccine on Thursday. (PNA)
