Despite the availability of a local vaccine, China’s pharmaceutical firm Shanghai Fosun, secured more than 100 million doses of COVID vaccine for 2021 from Pfizer-BioNTech.
This raises questions why China is not using its own vaccines while the Philippines is trying to buy the COVID vaccine from them as well.
Moderna and Arcturus also are open to supplying the country with vaccines but the Philippines closed a deal with China’s Sinovac for 25 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine.
Netizens now point out the irony of why the Philippines chose the Chinese vaccine considering that even China ordered from other pharmaceutical companies.
https://twitter.com/heyjaydreamerr/status/1339775261106040833?s=20
https://twitter.com/louiseleighhh/status/1339770380211298306?s=20
Tapos si Duterte at Duque nakaumang pa rin sa Sinovac. Galing. https://t.co/jZpm9v2QBh
— Mac (@macricaforte_) December 18, 2020
Actor Jason Abalos shares the news with everyone and asked those who are hoping for the Chinese vaccine to read the context.
Sa naghihintay ng vaccine galing china.. basa! https://t.co/XJ09BdPlho
— jason abalos (@thejasonabalos) December 17, 2020
Doctor Tony Leachon believes that China doesn’t trust its vaccine after ordering from foreign companies.
China doesn’t trust its own vaccines!https://t.co/VrnNVxUsW1
— Tony Leachon MD (@DrTonyLeachon) December 17, 2020
He and netizens also questioned the government’s leadership as the Philippines lags behind other ASEAN countries in terms of the vaccine agreement.
https://twitter.com/DrTonyLeachon/status/1339524907323981828?s=20
https://twitter.com/18robert_tan/status/1339767340783702018?s=20
But a netizen hypothesized that China just needs more doses considering their very large population.
I generally support Leachon's science-based approach, and I don't trust Xi's government one bit, but could this have more to do with China just being unable to produce enough for its enormous population? https://t.co/StvrtiqMJX
— Marco Smagnanakaw (@schnuppiesmols) December 18, 2020
Another one thinks that China feels that their vaccine is a bit overpriced.
At saka namamahalan sila sa sariling bakuna nila. https://t.co/tmPw2R9KqH
— JESUS DELA ROSA (@jessdelros6) December 18, 2020
Another netizen shared that having different vaccines improves immunity and will take the virus some time to mutate against the vaccine.
https://twitter.com/mae_mercado30/status/1339742559875248129?s=20
Recently, Senator Panfilo Lacson Jr. divulged that the Philippines missed the chance to get vaccine supplies from Pfizer because of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III’s incompetence.
“In July, we passed the ball to him. Instead of aiming at the hoop, he scratched his balls so he dropped the ball even as time was running out. Then, Singapore grabbed and shot the ball,” Lacson said.
“Now, they have the vaccines and we don’t,” he added.
The COVID-19 vaccines are the remaining hope of the Philippines to surpass this pandemic. However, it seems that the procurement is being politicized.
