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FDA: Half of PSG’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine to be allocated to wives, close contacts

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Kristine Sabillo, ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xcsnJxchRIA?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>MANILA — Half of the 10,000 COVID-19 vaccines that will be received by the Presidential Security Group through a compassionate special permit (CSP) will be given to the wives and close contacts of the soldiers, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday. Asked why the PSG was allowed to receive as donation as much as 10,000 doses, FDA Director General Eric Domingo said there are 2,000 members of the PSG who are guarding President Rodrigo Duterte while in Malacañang, Davao and “everywhere he goes.”“’Yung kalahati for the actual PSG members and the other half would be for close contacts of the PSG members meaning, of course, ’yung asawa. Syempre ’pag pag-uwi nya sa bahay ’yun ’yung kasama n’ya. So they included that,” Domingo told reporters during a video call.(Half of that for actual PSG members and the other half would be for close contacts of the PSG members meaning, of course, the wives. Of course, when they go home they are with their wives so they included that.)He said the 10,000 doses are enough for 5,000 people.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/11/21/psg-gets-go-signal-to-use-covid-19-shots-months-after-some-members-got-unauthorized-jabs">READ: PSG gets go signal to use COVID-19 shots months after some members got unauthorized jabs</a></li></ul>Because the FDA does not guarantee the safety of vaccines under CSP, he said the PSG hospital is responsible for those who will receive the jabs.Even the close contacts will receive the vaccines through the PSG Hospital.Domingo said he specifically instructed the hospital, which requested for the compassionate special permit on January 18, to make a monthly report of those who received the vaccines. He said the report should detail any adverse event or side effect experienced by the vaccine recipients.“Ang sabi ko sa kanila ’wag antaying maubos ang bakuna kundi buwan buwan magreport sa atin,” he said.(I told them not to wait for the vaccine to run out but instead report monthly to us.)Asked why the PSG did not wait for the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines vetted by the FDA since there are already two brands with emergency use authorization, Domingo said: “I cannot answer that for the PSG.”However, he said it might be because under the priority sector groupings, the PSG will have to wait awhile before they are vaccinated through the national immunization program. “Kaya siguro sila naka-secure ng donation para hindi na makapila, makabawas sa pila. ’Yun lang ang aking opinion on it,” he said, adding that he also does not know why the PSG chose Sinopharm, a Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical company, in particular.(That’s probably why they secured a donation so they don’t have to fall in line, to not add to the queue. That’s just my opinion on it.)Domingo said a compassionate special permit is regularly given to specialty groups and hospitals to allow the use of experimental drugs for particular individuals.He said the PSG explained that it needed the vaccines because its members’ job is to protect the president. “And, of course, as part of the personal security of the president hindi naman sila nakakasunod sa social distancing protocols,” Domingo said. “And since we know that the health of the president is a national security issue we don’t want him getting sick and those around him hindi dapat magkasakit we decided to grant the special permit for the PSG.”(And of course as part of the personal security of the President they cannot observe social distancing protocols…And since we know that the health of the president is a national security issue we don’t want him getting sick and those around him can’t get sick, we decided to grant the special permit for the PSG.)Last year, the PSG said a handful of PSG personnel were already vaccinated despite the Philippines not yet having an approved COVID-19 vaccine. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/05/21/duterte-orders-psg-to-shut-up-on-smuggled-vaccine-if-called-in-congress ">READ: Duterte orders PSG to &#x27;shut up&#x27; on smuggled vaccine if called in Congress</a></li></ul>Domingo said the granting of the CSP for Sinopharm will not affect the investigation on the said unauthorized vaccination since it will only be applied for the future use of the COVID-19 vaccines.

A compassionate special permit is regularly given to specialty groups and hospitals to allow the use of experimental drugs for particular individuals.

A compassionate special permit is regularly given to specialty groups and hospitals to allow the use of experimental drugs for particular individuals.

FDA: Half of PSG’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine to be allocated to wives, close contacts

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FDA: Half of PSG’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine to be allocated to wives, close contacts

Kristine Sabillo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Feb 12, 2021 04:39 PM PHT

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Updated Feb 12, 2021 04:51 PM PHT

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COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines

Sinopharm

Food and Drug Administration

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