DOH wants probe on US drive vs China’s Sinovac vaccine

THE Department of Health (DOH) yesterday said “appropriate” authorities should look into the alleged covert operation of the United States (US) to discredit the efficacy of Sinovac, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine of China, at the height of the pandemic.

In a brief statement, DOH spokesman Albert Domingo said the health department believes that it is imperative that an investigation is conducted over the special report of Reuters, wherein the supposed target market of the US operation was the Filipino public.

“The findings by Reuters deserve to be investigated and heard by the appropriate authorities of the involved countries,” said Domingo.

He refused to comment when asked who should conduct the investigation.

Based on the Reuters report, the US military supposedly launched a secret campaign to counter what it perceived as China’s growing influence in the Philippines.

The said operation supposedly sought to sow doubts about the safety and efficacy of vaccines and other life-saving aid that was being supplied by China, such as Sinovac vaccines against COVID-19, to the Philippines.

The Reuters report noted how social media posts criticized the quality of face masks, test kits, and the Sinovac vaccines available in the country.

The US operations allegedly began in the spring of 2020 and was terminated only by mid-2021, said the Reuters report.

Records from the DOH showed that there were 181,645,251 COVID-19 jabs administered in the Philippines, as of December 31, 2023.

Of the total doses used in the Philippines, there were 48,734,507 jabs which used Sinovac.

The DOH data also showed that 37,353 out of the total Sinovac jabs administered had adverse reactions.