Who should get the COVID-19 vaccine first?
April 21, 2021 | 12:01 am
REUTERS
Public health officials and scientific experts decide who in their country or region will get the vaccines first, and there may be differences in their prioritization. While there are still limited supplies of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, the World Health Organization (WHO) and health authorities have recommended prioritizing the following groups: (1) people who have a higher chance of exposure to the virus; and (2) people who have a higher chance of having severe COVID-19 illness. (“COVID-19 Vaccines FAQs,” International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations, March 2021)
In line with these recommendations, the Interim National Immunization Technical Advisory Group for COVID-19 Vaccines has come up with a list of priority population groups. The top three in the list are (A1) frontline workers in health facilities both national and local, private and public, health
BusinessWorld
April 16, 2021 | 6:51 pm
THE inter-agency task force handling the coronavirus response has included more sectors in the fourth priority group for vaccination, according to the presidential palace, but when they will get the jab remains uncertain.
Frontline workers in the transport sector, news media, wet and dry markets, several government agencies, and migrant Filipino workers are now among those eligible to be vaccinated under the A4 group of the coronavirus immunization program, Presidential Spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. said in a statement on Friday.
Personnel in telecommunications firms, cable and internet service companies, and electricity distribution and water distribution utilities who deal directly with customers are also included.
(JUAN CARLO DE VELA / MANILA BULLETIN)
“From the distributed doses, over 1 million (1,093,651) Filipinos: healthcare workers, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities have been afforded partial protection through administration of the first dose,” the DOH said.
“Meanwhile, of the total Filipinos who received their first doses, 162,065 Filipinos have been given their second doses of the vaccine, thereby affording them the full protection and benefits that vaccines provide,” added the department.
Based on the April 14 vaccine rollout update of the DOH, the areas having the highest number of doses received were the National Capital Region with 1,158,470; followed by Calabarzon with 268,160; Central Luzon with 190,700; and Central Visayas with 176,760.
By HANA BORDEY, GMA News
Published April 14, 2021 7:31pm Clinical trials are needed to assess the benefits and risks of anti-parasitic drug ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 and to uphold regulatory standards in the pharmaceutical industry, a group of pharmacists said. In a statement sent to GMA News Online, the Philippine Association of Pharmacists in the Pharmaceutical Industry (PAPPI) said they adhere to pertinent laws and regulations in the Philippines to ensure that its member-companies are providing safe and effective medicines to Filipinos. “Some of our member companies continue to carefully examine the results of all available and ongoing clinical studies on the use of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19,” PAPPI said.
BusinessWorld
By Teodoro B. Padilla
Thomas B. Cueni, director general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), emphasized that vaccine makers are fully committed to transparency in reporting clinical trial results. They likewise support the need to inform the public of what they know, as well as what they donât know about the vaccines in development.
âWe must prioritize thorough validation of the results of pre-clinical and clinical trials by independent expert bodies. Only the most rigorous application of science and openness in the regulatory process can ensure that everyone, starting with healthcare workers, has confidence in COVID-19 vaccines once they have been properly approved,â he wrote in an opinion piece (