Respecting freedom in the absence of compassion: realistic behavior by public officials for the COVID-19 vaccination program

Abstract

The virtue of compassion is a valid antidote to lighten the burden of negative effects brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, real-life situations can attest that this is not always the kind of behavior for some people since the current situation is considered as ‘survival of the fittest.’ In its absence, the respect of freedom by public officials to every citizen is a great substitute most especially in the implementation of the government’s vaccination program. This behavior actualizes every person’s plan of protection without being pressured. This right needs to be provided and not taken away by the government.

To the editor

The COVID-19 pandemic is continuously causing great suffering not only to physical, economical but also to public mental health which can even lead to psychological crises.¹ The emergence and rapid spread of the virus has exacerbated anxiety in populations globally.² The recent article published in this journal proposed the need to carefully integrate ethical practice in public health to support the most vulnerable in the society and ease the negative impact of COVID-19 on future generations.³ The virtue of compassion is specifically pointed out as the key to hurdle such suffering brought by the pandemic. On the contrary, while being compassionate is a valid antidote to lighten the burden of such negative effects, real-life situations can attest that this is not always the kind of behavior for some people. What matters to them are selfish intentions which cause confusion and add a heavier burden to everybody. In the Philippines, some public servants who claim to be promoting public health through an effective, systematic and cheaper COVID-19 vaccination program do not exhibit compassion but selfishness. Table 1 shows the estimated allocated budget of the Philippine government in purchasing the vaccine for the current year. With a whooping cost of US$1.7 Billion, the different vaccine brands are presented with their respective costs for a particular number of recipients. The government is indeed pushing for the purchase of Sinovac brand, which is actually one of the expensive options and yet according to the recent clinical trial in Brazil, it was just 50.38% effective in late-stage trials.⁴ In fact, Sinovac has acknowledged the bribery case involving its chief executive officer (CEO), saying in regulatory filings that he cooperated with prosecutors and was not charged. The CEO said in testimony that he could not refuse demands for money from a regulatory official.⁵ Despite the scandal, many Filipinos get confused and even developed a fear of getting vaccinated due to the vaccine’s low efficacy rate. The questionable veracity of the data has fueled doubt and hopelessness to many. In addition, the government even advised the public that they are not allowed to purchase their vaccine of choice from private clinics or pharmacies until full market authorization is issued by the Food and Drug Administration.⁶

Table 1.

Estimated number of COVID-19 vaccine recipients next year based on PhP82.5Billion (US$1.7Billion) budget allocation by the Philippine government

Vaccine	Doses	Price in US$ (inclusive of 12% VAT, 10% inflation rate)	Number of Recipients (for 82.5B)
Astrazeneca	2	12.70	135 245 901
Novavax	2	7.62	225 409 836
Pfizer	2	49.54	34 678 436
Moderna	2	81.29–93.79	18 317 051–21 132 172
Sinovac	2	75.58	22 730 403
Gamaleya	2	25.40	67 622 950
COVAX facility	2	17.78	96 604 215

Source: Reference [7].

There are instances that compassion seems to be embodied only by those selected people who have a strong moral foundation. It is manifested only by those few good individuals who run in their blood the sense of heroism like the medical frontliners whose life is always at stake every time they attend to their work. We cannot expect everybody to act as such most especially during this difficult time of the pandemic where the situation is a matter of life and death or the so-called ‘survival of the fittest.’

In the absence of compassion during times of crisis, what will ease one’s suffering is the respect for freedom that everyone naturally possesses. Every person deserves the right to choose which brand of vaccine he or she will get for protection. Every citizen does not have to wait for a longer period of time if the vaccine is already available since the virus is continuously at large and even getting deadlier with its new variants. Most of all, every government should present an informed, clear and honest details of the available vaccines. Respecting the freedom of everyone is the one that can substitute compassion to ease suffering primarily because one is able to actualize his or her own plan of protection without being pressured. This right needs to be provided and not taken away by the government.