Phl OK’s use of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine; detects first new virus variant case in Manila
The Philippines has given the green light to Pfizer BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use. According to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director-General Eric Domingo, the authorization was granted after a thorough review of currently available data by medical and regulatory experts.
The Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, which based on Phase III trials data, has an efficacy rate of 95%; it is the first vaccine in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) emergency list. It means that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine met WHO’s safety requirements; and that the vaccine’s benefits outweighed any potential risks.
The FDA received the US-based pharmaceutical company’s application for emergency use authorization (EUA) of its Covid-19 vaccine in the Philippines last December 23. An EUA allows Pfizer’s vaccine to be imported and rolled out in the country via a national immunization program.
Meanwhile, the Philippines has reported its first case of the new coronavirus variant that was first detected in the UK. According to reports, the said patient, a resident of Quezon City, Metro Manila, had traveled from Dubai.
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