MORE local government units are veering away from the China-made vaccines.
The Municipality of Angono is the latest among LGUs that chose to pick a vaccine brand that yields more than 90 percent efficacy.
In a statement, Angono Mayor Jeri Mae Calderon said that the local council has already approved the confidentiality disclosure agreement with AstraZeneca, which developed a vaccine with a potency of a little over 90 percent.
In her social media post, Calderon also urged the public to remain calm even as she hinted on an online registration for local folks who wanted to be vaccinated as soon as supplies are available.
“Kalma na tayo patungkol sa vaccine. May balita na ako sa inyo, inaprubahan na ng Sangguniang Bayan ang Confidentiality Agreement sa AstraZeneca. At ito po ay pirmado ko na rin. Kuha muna tayo ng paunang ilang doses. Priority ang mga frontliner at senior citizen,” Calderon’s Facebook post reads.
“Gawa sa Europe ito, ha. Hindi tayo kukuha sa China,” the young local chief executive added.
The first full peer-reviewed results of phase 3 trials of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University manifested up to 90-percent efficiency in preventing infection, supporting regulatory submissions for emergency use.
Sought to elaborate on the LGU’s choice, Calderon cited reasons such as the public consensus, which she hinted as essential in convincing their constituents to agree on submitting themselves for inoculation.
“We find it necessary for the constituents to have confidence on the type of vaccine that would be injected to them. It doesn’t take an expert to understand where our local folks are coming from, especially after reports backed by science, came out – particularly on efficacy and potential risks.”
The local chief executive explained that they are not bent on gambling local funds on a vaccine brand that doesn’t guarantee results – without necessarily mentioning brands of low-efficacy vaccines.
“We also took the recommendation of our local medical community of significant value before we made our decision,” added Calderon.
Calderon is a COVID-19 survivor.