Chinese-made vaccines used not yet registered with FDA
(Eagle News) –- The Presidential Security Group defended its move to have its members vaccinated against COVID-19, noting that it needed to ensure that President Rodrigo Duterte would be protected from the highly infectious virus.
In a statement, PSG Commander Brig. Gen. Jesus Durante III, said that who were vaccinated were the close-in security of the President since they should not pose as a threat to his health. The vaccines used were said to be those made by China which have not yet been registered or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
“PSG is the primary unit of the AFP that is mandated to protect the nation’s highest leader. With the current pandemic, PSG needs to ensure that they are not themselves threat to the President’s health and safety. As such the PSG administered COVID19 vaccine to its personnel performing close-in security operations to the President,” Durante said.
-Part of national security precaution-
He stressed that this is part of ensuring “national security” especially in the current situation which the PSG head likens to a “state of war” – a battle being waged against the COVID-19 virus.
“National security imposes the protection of the President being the Commander in-Chief from all forms ot threat, especially COVID-19, in order to preserve the stability of our nation,” Durante said.
“It is PSG’s primordial task to ensure that we have a healthy President serving our fellow Filipinos everyday.”
Durante said that the PSG had to “exploit all means” to deliver its mandate of protecting the President as is “highly expected of them by the Filipino people.”
He said that the PSG decision to have the close-in security of President Duterte vaccinated was a “courageous step” to achieve its mandate.
“We did it not for personal agenda but on a greater pursuit that is even way beyond our mission of protecting our President,” he said.
But Durante said that the PSG cannot speak about the vaccine’s effectiveness.
“COVID-19 is a first in history, and the whole world is hopeful in developing and obtaining the perfect vaccine,” Durante said.
-Use of unregistered vaccines not illegal, says Roque-
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, on Monday, Dec. 27, said that it was not illegal to get COVID-19 vaccines even if these had not yet been registered with the Philippine government.
Both the Department of Health and the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that there is no registered COVID-19 vaccine yet, as those applying to hold either clinical trials here or emergency use authorization are still being studied.
These agencies said that the vaccines are still to arrive by the second quarter of 2021.
But Roque said that the administration of vaccines on soldiers and policemen, even if these had not been registered, is allowed under the law.
“Unang-una po, hindi po ipinagbabawal ang batas natin ang magpaturok ng hindi rehistrado. Ang bawal po iyong distribution at iyong pagbibenta. So, ito naman po ay itinurok sa mga sundalo na pumayag,” Roque said.
He also stressed that if the country would be having difficulty getting Western-developed and made vacines, could look for vaccines provided by China since these were already being used in China for its army.
He cited these vaccines as those made by Sinovac and Sinopharm.
(Eagle News Service)
