SINOVAC JAB’S VARYING PRICES RAISE ALARM. Inquirer Newsletter. January 18 2021

No images? Click here   CONSERVATION ICON For 28 years, Pag-asa was a celebrity, bringing hope and joy to visitors at the Philippine Eagle Center in Malagos, Davao City. His death serves as an inspiration for the conservation of his critically endangered species.     Board Talk The Great Reset: Leading for the common good   The COVID-19 pandemic hit the world and the Philippines like a giant sledgehammer. Global statistics show over 20 million COVID-19 cases, over 350,000 deaths everywhere, comparisons with the 1918 Spanish flu, and fears of a deadlier second wave. —STORY BY Aurelio M. Montinola III Read more: business.inquirer.net   World Man with gun, 500 bullets arrested near US Capitol WASHINGTON—A heavily armed man was arrested in Washington at a security checkpoint near the US Capitol, underscoring the tension in the capital which is resembling a war zone following a riot last week and as the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden nears. —STORY BY AFP and REUTERS Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net   Newsletter / Join us Has this been forwarded by a friend? Subscribe now to the Philippine Daily Inquirer Newsletter and get your latest news and important updates on COVID-19 and the enhanced community quarantine. Subscribe   Shop here     Banner story SINOVAC JAB’S VARYING PRICES RAISE ALARM By DJ Yap Sharp differences in the pri­ces of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine in the Philippines and neighboring countries smack of corruption, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said on Sunday. CoronaVac, the vaccine developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech, costs as little as $5 per dose, or about P240, in other Southeast Asian countries, but may be priced at $38, or more than P1,800, in the Philippines, Lacson said. “The difference in prices of Sinovac vaccine at $5, $14 and $38 reminds me of an old story about how corruption is committed in three Southeast Asian countries—UNDER the table, ON the table, and INCLUDING the table,” he said in a post on Twitter. “Here, it may cost $38.50 (P1,847.25) per dose but is co­vered by a confidentiality disclosure agreement,” he added. Lacson cited a report in the Bangkok Post on Saturday saying the price of CoronaVac in Thailand was $5 per dose, based on figures from the World Health Organization and from the manufacturer. But a report in India Today on Tuesday said the price of CoronaVac in India was $14, or about P673, per dose. Vice President Leni Robredo, speaking in her radio show on Sunday, also pointed out the varying prices of CoronaVac, citing a statement of Dr. Tony Leachon, a former adviser to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, that the price of the China-made vaccine, as reported by a Thai newspaper, was $5 in Thailand and $17 (P817) in Indonesia. Robredo asked the Department of Health (DOH) for an explanation. During budget deliberations in November, the DOH told the Senate committee on finance that the price of the Sinovac vaccine was P3,629.50 for the two-dose regimen. —WITH A REPORT FROM KRIXIA SUBINGSUBING INQ Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net   Editorial Lifestyle check on officials Last week, the Department of Finance unveiled its own anti-corruption initiative with the launch of the 'Sumbong Website' on its official webpage. The project enjoins citizens to report cases of possible anomalies in the department and all the agencies it supervises, which include the BIR and BOC. Read full story: opinion.inquirer.net       Copyright © 2020 PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: P.O. Box 2353, Makati Central Post Office, 1263 Makati City, Philippines.   Share    Tweet    Share    Forward  Preferences  |  Unsubscribe