Nothing illegal in early inoculation of presidential guards, says interior chief

MANILA - There is no violation in the COVID-19 vaccination of members of Presidential Security Group (PSG) because the move was meant to protect the President from the risk of infection, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Tuesday.

Interviewed on ANC's "Matters of Fact," Año said the early inoculation, which was met with criticism from the public, would not affect the country's mass vaccination program next year, with priority given to health-care workers.

"I don't see anything illegal there... What is prohibited is selling and distributing [the vaccine] without regulatory approval," he said.

A "handful" of members of Duterte's security detail volunteered to receive the COVID-19 shots, which was developed by Chinese drug maker Sinopharm.

"It's just as simple as soldiers protecting the President who want to be inoculated and they're able to get some donation on it and the country that provided it has an approved EUA (emergency use authorization). It's that simple. Let's not complicate things," he said.

Año, who is also vice chair of the government's pandemic task force, said there was no need for approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because these were used for "personal consumption."

"There's no need for approval for that. These vaccines have its EUA in that originating country. If somebody would like to try that for personal consumption, I don't see any conflict on the law," he said.

It was President Rodrigo Duterte who revealed in his public address on Saturday that some soldiers had already been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Military officials confirmed the move to the dismay of high-risk health-care workers, who should be the first to get inoculated in the vaccine rollout.

"Per our inquiry, members of the Presidential Security Group were the first ones from the AFP who were vaccinated owing to the nature of their mission and function," AFP spokesman Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo had said.

• Unauthorized use of COVID-19 vaccine illegal, FDA says after Duterte's PSG inoculated

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had said unauthorized use of COVID-19 vaccine is illegal.

“As of date, the FDA has not issued any emergency use authorization (EUA) to any vaccine for COVID-19. Without the proper authorization, there is no guarantee on the safety, quality and efficacy of said vaccine as the same has not undergone the required technical evaluation by the FDA," FDA director general Eric Domingo said in a statement.

The agency also maintained that "manufacture, importation, exportation, sale, offering for sale, distribution, transfer, non-consumer use, promotion, advertisement, or sponsorship of any unauthorized vaccine" remain prohibited.

• Nurses on COVID vaccination of PSG: ‘Parang inapi yung health workers’

In response to the incident, a group of nurses, who has been clamoring for better working conditions and benefits amid the COVID-19 pandemic, lamented they were not the government's priority.

To date, over 13,000 health workers in the country were infected with COVID-19, of whom have 76 died.

• UAE says Sinopharm vaccine has 86% efficacy against COVID-19

In early December, the United Arab Emirates health ministry had said the Sinopharm vaccine had 86 percent efficacy against coronavirus.

The Gulf Arab state has been conducting Phase 3 clinical trials of the vaccine since July and in September approved its emergency use for certain groups.

The vaccine, which uses an inactivated virus unable to replicate human cells to trigger immune responses, requires 2 doses, past trial data has showed.

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