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HPAAC flags private purchases of vaccines

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THE Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against Covid-19 (HPAAC) has expressed alarm over the reports that some private entities are purchasing Covid-19 vaccines even if the Food and Drug Administration has not issued any marketing authorization yet for Covid-19 vaccines.

“And some are even asking their employees to already pay for these purchases.

“We also received reports that there are multiple offers from social media and other communication apps already asking for pre-order payments from the public to directly purchase these vaccines,” the HPAAC said in a statement.

The HPAAC, an alliance of more than 170 healthcare professionals and health workers organizations with the goal of ensuring that the Covid vaccine distribution will be just and equitable, noted that FDA Director Eric Domingo had clarified that the government has only issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Covid vaccines and that it is not a marketing authorization.

“We fear that instead of prioritizing those with vulnerabilities and high exposure to Covid-19 such as our frontline health workers and senior citizens, these purchases can tilt the priority only to those with the capacity to pay. It also shows the existence of a Covid-19 black market.”

These illegal transactions, they urged, must be stopped “if we are to prevent ineffective vaccines and worse, vaccines with detrimental health effects to be consumed by the public.”

While they welcome the efforts of the private sector in assisting the government in the procurement and distribution of the vaccines, the group appealed to them to respect the Covid-19 vaccine priority agenda.

“The central government can already procure vaccines but the private sector and ordinary citizens are not allowed to purchase vaccines on their own. This is because the vaccines are still in Phase 3 of the trial process. It is the responsibility of the government to manage the distribution and procurement because this is a health emergency. Ignoring this process may cause harm to the general public,” the HPAAC explained.

The group also cited the World Health Organization (WHO) warning that the global supply of vaccines is limited. Hence, there is a need to prioritize.

“Vaccination programs must be aimed to reduce mortality and maintain health systems capacity. Therefore, vaccine priority must be given to health-care workers, senior citizens and those with comorbidities,” they added.

They added, “those with high exposure and high risk to Covid and areas mostly affected by the virus must be first in line to get the vaccine.”

“Herd immunity can be most efficiently achieved if the prioritization list is followed. This priority agenda is based on science and will result in achieving protection for the entire community in the most efficient manner,” the group explained.

HPAAC also advised the public to refrain from paying for these vaccines and report such offers to the FDA, as these transactions are “in direct violation of current vaccine protocols and must be stopped.”

Read full article on BusinessMirror

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