Business leader presses pharma companies on commercial sales of COVID bivalent vaccines
A BUSINESS leader on Tuesday pressed pharmaceutical companies to apply for a certificate of product registration for COVID-19 bivalent vaccines to make their products commercially available as the long-term effects of the virus affect the productivity of workers.
“We must remember that the country is no longer under a state of public health emergency, so we cannot import COVID-19 vaccines through Emergency Use Authorization anymore,” Go Negosyo Founder and Private Sector Advisory Council – Jobs Group Leader Jose Maria A. Concepcion III said in a statement on Tuesday.
The state of emergency ended on Dec. 31.
Mr. Concepcion said he is hoping that the coronavirus vaccine will become accessible, similar to other vaccines for pneumonia, flu, and shingles.
“The way forward for the country to obtain needed bivalent vaccines for booster shots is for pharmaceutical firms to apply for certificate of product registration. They cannot permanently rely on the government for indemnification from adverse reactions,” Mr. Concepcion said.
According to infectious disease specialist Rontgene M. Solante, long COVID refers to the lingering effects of the disease after a person has been infected by COVID-19.
He said booster doses can help prevent long COVID and other complications.
“It’s very difficult to build a population wall of immunity in the community. At least in your workplace, if all of you are vaccinated, if all people are boostered, then you have a lower risk of higher absenteeism and loss of productivity,” Mr. Concepcion said.
“Imagine in a company where you have an individual who developed mild infection, but long COVID was there. The comorbidities are amplified, uncontrolled hypertension, uncontrolled diabetes. That’s something that really will be a burden of the infection in terms of productivity,” he added.
The Philippines has secured over a million doses of Pfizer, Inc.’s bivalent vaccines from a United Nations-backed vaccine platform, but delivery has been put on indefinite hold as the contract is still under review, the Department of Health said last week. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
