Never Worth the Wait

With the COVID-19 pandemic locking Filipinos for six months in quarantine, the government has bet all its chips on the long game: waiting for the vaccine, an ineffective strategy born of the ineptitude of the current administration and the lack of concrete plans that would only endanger the lives of more Filipinos

SPUTNIK V. A handout picture taken on August showing the newly developed Russian vaccine Sputnik V, named after the space program during the Soviet Union. Photo from Russian Direct Invest Fund.

President Rodrigo Duterte remarked to “spray pesticide” over the Philippines to get rid of COVID-19, addressed to Vice President Leni Robredo, additionally stating the only thing everyone can do is wear a mask and wait for the vaccine

“ Alam mo, Leni, kung gusto mo, if you really want to do away with the COVID, i-sprayan natin itong Pilipinas, o Manila, ng pesticide galing sa eroplano para patay lahat. You cannot exterminate the COVID by itong ano lang (meron) ngayon. The only thing that we can do really is to wear a mask, and that it’s and wait for the vaccine,” as Duterte said originally.

Aside from the harmful “pesticides” suggestion, Duterte has confessed his underhandedness in handling the COVID-19 pandemic and has not reassured Filipinos of their safety. Without having a real idea for the pandemic, Duterte prefers to wait for the vaccine.

A vaccine is a concoction of viruses or bacteria that will trigger an immune response to the body once injected. The vaccine would contain a weakened or dead version of the microorganism to not overwhelm the body’s immune system like a practice exam for the finals. For COVID-19, it is caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and as of this month, 135 vaccines are being tested worldwide from different countries in the hopes of finally procuring the miracle liquid that would end this pandemic.

The people’s hope on the vaccine is something grounded on the fear of the virus. It is perceived as the saving grace for the world to fully rehabilitate itself just like it did on smallpox, but a vaccine cannot be procured on a whim; It takes years of research and lots of resources to make sure it is safe for consumption.

To know when a vaccine is fit for mass utilization, it typically undergoes five phases. First is preclinical testing where animals are used as test subjects; second is Phase 1 safety trials where a small number of people are sampled for dosage and reactions; third is Phase 2 expanded trials where hundreds of people of varying demographics are tested; fourth is Phase 3 efficacy trials where the vaccine is given to the thousands; last is approval where regulatory bodies review results and license the vaccine. There are currently 42 undergoing human clinical trials and 11 going through Phase 3.

Due to the pandemic, vaccine development has reached neck-breaking speed; what used to be 10-15 years of research is now condensed to months to a year of trials. For the COVID-19 pandemic, some countries allowed combined phases (Phases ½) where hundreds of people were tested for the first time to accelerate trials. Countries like China and Russia have granted “limited approval” to immediately utilize their vaccines without having to complete Phase 3. Both countries have plans in doing more clinical trials in the rest of the world, including the Philippines.

According to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the World Health Organization (WHO) Solidarity Trial for the COVID-19 vaccine may start in December in the Philippines (READ MORE: DOST: WHO Solidarity Trial for COVID-19 vaccine in PH may start December). Currently, DOST has said that five firms have signed an agreement with the Philippines about COVID-19 research, but only four of them plan to hold clinical trials there; this includes Russia’s Sputnik V and China’s CoronaVac.

China, being the first to be hit by the pandemic, had already shown off a vaccine produced by companies like Sinovac Biotech, the producer for CoronaVac. It is an inactive vaccine, meaning it has the non-infectious version of the coronavirus; they are made by growing a virus in a lab then killing it afterward. Even if inactivated, the vaccine can still provoke an immune response.

Russia, on the other hand, boasts the first COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V, named after the Soviet-era space program. Developed by the Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, the viral vector vaccine is based on two weakened versions of the adenovirus, the virus for common colds; it can introduce the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2. The researchers claim that the vaccine incurred a high concentration of antibodies and a strong immune response.

What these countries have in common is that they both have limited approval for their vaccine and have rushed clinical trials without consulting Phase 3 trials results. This poses a serious risk for countries, especially developing ones, where clinical trials are planned like the Philippines. The main reasons why vaccines are safe is because of their rigorous process tracking safety and effectiveness. By skipping a phase, the process has been completely undermined, and with this comes the possibility of a fatal oversight that may result in rare side effects and unintended harm to millions of people.

Coinciding with the vaccine developments, the Philippines has also been making their plans by gaining favors from the superpowers to get dibs on the saving serum.

Duterte is no stranger when it comes to appeasing China. Despite Duterte’s assertion to the Hague ruling, this does not entirely negate the influx of pro-China actions like China-backed projects, telecommunications, and radios.

For Russia, the Philippines has set their eyes on the Sputnik V as early as August. Duterte has even boldly vowed to be the first one injected and openly idolized the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moreover, Russia has even proposed to the Philippines to be the hub of COVID-19 vaccine production for Southeast Asia.

Although American pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer is not holding clinical trials in the Philippines, the government had questionable actions in appeasing the United States. In the aftermath of Duterte’s decision to unjustly pardon US Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton for the murder of Jennifer Laude, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque stated that this bid would secure a COVID-19 vaccine from the US.

All in all, it shows that the Philippines is ready to give up national sovereignty and trade Filipino lives just for the prospects of getting a vaccine.

Despite Philippine’s relentless deals and agreement with other countries regarding the vaccines, its approval is far ahead. The Food and Drug Administration has stated that its ‘best-case scenario’ for the COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines is in April 2021, a year and one month since quarantine started.

Along with the long journey for the vaccine, the rising cases, and the uncoordinated response of the government, it is a must that the Philippines need to have a public health system that truly supports and takes care of its people.

Government agencies must push for mass testing and aggressive contact tracing that are the prerequisites of public health during a pandemic. Health organizations and hospitals must strengthen the health workforce and properly compensate medical workers to keep them safe from the virus. Public officials should observe effective science health communication to the general public to prevent the spread of fake news and avoid public hysteria. Lawmaking bodies must lobby national policies that are lenient in times of crisis. Social services must continually be funded to bolster social safety nets to provide for the poor and to incentivize people to socially distance and quarantine themselves. Lastly, people should call for good governance to put the proper people in place and allot the resources where they are most needed.

With all the systemic issues plaguing the lives of normal Filipinos, crises like corruption, online classes, worsening economy, rising unemployment, and pervasive human rights violations are stacking up that rising COVID-19 cases seem like a nuisance. The demand for good governance must resonate among the people louder. Without the integrity of leadership within the system, Filipino society will collapse along with its citizens.

Even if the first truly approved vaccine arrives, there will be no guarantee that the countries will willingly give the vaccine to the world because it is in the country’s best interest to cater themselves first then other nations. This would mean the developing countries would lag; this includes the Philippines.

In a global crisis, no single country should have the right to sheltering and cornering the vaccine supply once it is available. Global organizations should take action as well in securing the vaccine for the whole of humanity.

Even if the rest of the world seems to be recovering from the pandemic, it is no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic has lasted for six months in the Philippines because of the absence of simple public health measures and concrete plans. Amidst the lack, the government has only one goal in mind: to wait out the pandemic, hoping to get the saving vial of liquid of the COVID-19 vaccine. With the wait, the lack of foresight by the people in power had greatly cost the lives of Filipinos.

Waiting is never an option. As COVID-19 cases are reaching new heights, now is the time, more than ever, that we should take collective action to hold the people irresponsible accountable and urge global leaders to take initiative in equalizing the distribution of the vaccines all over the world. If the vaccine meant the normalization of civilization in turn bearing unnecessary societal burden brought by an exploiting government, then a vaccine will be never worth the wait.