Duterte says Filipinos can use Pfizer vaccine, but touts Sinovac deal

MANILA, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo
Duterte said on Monday he would not stop Filipinos from getting
shots of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer PFE.N and
BioNTech BNTX.O , despite reports in Norway of deaths among
frail elderly people after being inoculated.
"Almost everybody that I know (is) scrambling to buy this
Pfizer (vaccine). To me I think it's a good one," he said in a
late-night televised address. "If you want to follow the
experience of Norway, go ahead. Nobody would stop you."
Norway said on Monday it was not changing its policy on the
use of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine following reports of
deaths among very frail recipients after the inoculation was
given. In his address, Duterte also reiterated his defense of the
government's supply deals involving CoronaVac, the vaccine
developed by China's Sinovac Biotech SVA.O .
The Philippines' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
authorised the emergency use of Pfizer's vaccine, the first to
be approved in the Southeast Asian country, which has one of the
highest numbers of coronavirus cases in Asia. The government aims to begin immunization next month, hoping
to inoculate 70 million people, or two-thirds of its population,
this year.
Duterte said Sinovac's vaccine is now being used in
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, Egypt, United Arab
Emirates, and Brazil, and there have been no deaths reported so
far.
The Philippines has also firmed up supply deals with Novavax
NVAX.O , Moderna MRNA.O , AstraZeneca AZN.L , Johnson &
Johnson JNJ.N , and Russia's Gamaleya Institute, according to
Carlito Galvez, a former military chief who handles the
government's vaccine procurement.
Duterte assured the public of corruption-free vaccine supply
deals, after the Senate launched an inquiry into government
transactions amid questions about pricing transparency and
efficacy.
"I'm telling now General Galvez to proceed with his game
plan, with or without the investigation", which he said could
derail the government's vaccination plan.