The president of the Dominican Medical Association (CMD) clarified that the CMD is not calling for rejecting the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. Dr. Waldo Ariel Suero says the CMD understands the vaccine is less effective and the government should have given priority to purchasing the Pfizer vaccine. Dr. Waldo Ariel Suero had said on a radio talk show that he would not get the Oxford vaccination. The Oxford vaccination is the first Covid-19 virus vaccination to be approved in the Dominican Republic.
The president of the Dominican Medical Association (CMD), Waldo Ariel Suero, said: “The first thing is to clarify that the CMD is in favor of using the vaccine as a key tool against the expansion of COVID-19. As a union, we have prioritized the Pfizer vaccine because it has higher coverage and fewer side effects. We do not believe that the AstraZeneca vaccine will be as effective, however, at no time have we said that the vaccine cannot be given,” he said.
Deputy Minister of Public Health Ivelisse Acosta called the statements by Dr. Suero “unfortunate” when speaking during the weekly Covid-19 press conference on Wednesday, 6 January.
The director of the Ciudad Sanitaria, the largest public hospital in Santo Domingo, Dr. José Joaquín Puello defended the quality of the British vaccine. Dr. Puello said that the Oxford vaccine is less costly (US$21 compared to US$8) and does not have the extreme cold storage requirements of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Both required two doses.
A report in The Telegraph of London revealed that “the Pfizer vaccine boasts an efficacy of 95%, compared to something around the 70% mark from Oxford. Immunity also appears to kick in a bit quicker with the Pfizer jab at 14 days, compared to 22 for Oxford’s shot.” The Telegraph highlights that the trial data for both vaccines is robust but limited and the real numbers on efficacy will only emerge a few years down the line once tens of millions of doses have been administered.
The leading British newspaper concludes: “Much more important is that both vaccines, based on the trial data available, appear highly effective at protecting against severe disease. In all the trials run to date, no one vaccinated has been hospitalized or died of Covid-19. Experts are not yet certain if either prevent against transmission.”
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6 January 2021