The spokesperson of the Department of Health said a statement of Tony Leachon, the former special adviser to the National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF,) against the efficacy of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine is baseless.

In the ''Laging Handa'' public briefing on Saturday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire emphasized that Leachon's statement "is very critical now on vaccine confidence".

"We hope our fellow doctors will not give this kind of baseless statement. Just recently the Lancet publication said that around 10,000 samples or individuals inoculated with Sinovac shows 100 percent effectiveness against severe infections and we also see here in our country that Sinovac is protecting our population," Vergiere said.

"Those that were presented by Dr. Leachon last night (at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee) are baseless. We just want to explain to the public that we should not believe these kinds of statements. We should believe in science and we also see the effectiveness of this vaccine for everyone," she added.

During the hearing, Leachon was reportedly pushing for the purchase of other vaccines as he also questioned the efficacy of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines. Robina Asido/DMS