THE national government needs to plan and look for other ways so that Filipinos can learn to live with Covid-19 amid the slow vaccination rate in the Philippines, according to an entrepreneurial czar.
Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion believes the next step is to stock up on antiviral medicines.
At present, there are two antiviral medicines available through prescription in the country: Molnupiravir and Paxlovid.
Their supply has been unstable, especially with the rising number of Covid cases in recent weeks.
“Antivirals are a way forward considering how vaccinations are going right now and how we have seen cases come and go. We need to bring in antiviral medicines to build up our defenses against Covid,” he said.
Other jabs needed
SINCE viral mutations continue to exacerbate the pandemic situation, Concepcion also recommended that a similar plan for bivalent vaccines must be done, targeting both the original strain of the Covid-19 virus and the highly contagious Omicron variant.
“These new formulations will need an EUA [Emergency Use Authorization] if the pharmaceutical companies do not obtain their Certificates of Product Registration by the time the State of Public Health Emergency expires,” Concepcion said.
The EUA is a mechanism that allows the use of medical countermeasures which have yet to receive government approval. The State of Public Health Emergency will lapse in September.
In cases like these, he guaranteed that the private sector is prepared to step in and enter into another tripartite agreement as it did in 2020 with a project called “A Dose of Hope”.
This enabled the Philippines to overcome regulatory roadblocks when Covid-19 jabs were yet to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Utilization guidelines
TO avoid wastage of vaccines, the Go Negosyo founder emphasized that the private sector needs to be assured that this time around, there will be clear parameters on their use.
Likewise, he suggested the country follow the lead of the countries of reference for the vaccines’ utilization.
“The important thing is that the inventory must be there when we need it, and we must be already laying the groundwork now,” he pointed out.
For him, antivirals and bivalent vaccines must form part of the plan so the country can live successfully with Covid-19.
“The first defense is still vaccination, especially the boosters, and this has to become an ongoing activity,” Concepcion said. “Second is the continued wearing of face masks.”
Filipinos remain quite compliant with face mask rules, he observed, while citing that surveys have shown that they will keep on wearing such protective gear even after the health crisis is declared over.
“Third is we need to have antivirals available. Antivirals work if you take them early enough in the illness, and if we prevent people from getting severe illness and being hospitalized or dying, we can learn to manage Covid even as cases go up,” he stressed.
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