24 Addressing Inequality During the Pandemic Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO country representative. According to the DOH, there are 266 more cases of the b.1.1.7 variant and 351 cases of the B.1.351 variant in the country.89 106 The FDA granted a compassionate special permit for a hospital to use the drug ivermectin for COVID-19 patients. A compassionate special permit is granted for the use of drugs that are not registered or are still in the process of registration in the country.90 107 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was directed to take the lead in determining the course of action against the illegal trade and dispensing of ivermectin, according to Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. Two hospitals were granted special compassionate permits for its use for COVID-19 patients, despite the warnings of its unproven efficacy. Oral ivermectin products are also used on animals to treat parasitic infections.91 108 The availability of COVID-19 vaccines remains the most critical concern as it determines if the Philippines can reach herd immunity. Vaccine procurement remains dependent on the vaccines procured by the National Government, Local Government Units (LGU), and donations from the COVAX Facility. They emphasized that “coverage of all Filipinos ultimately [depend] on the vaccines procured by the national government [but] LGUs and private companies may also contribute to reaching full coverage by using their resources.” 92 109 As of March 2021, the DOH issued a press release stating that “private companies and Local Government Units are authorized to procure COVID-19 vaccines which have been given Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration, in cooperation with the DOH and the National Task Force (NTF) through a tripartite agreement.” The rationale for the tripartite agreement was that “the manufacturers required that indemnification be covered by the national government before finalizing procurement deals.” The national government will shoulder the cost of adverse effects, and because vaccines are only provided through EUA and thus not sold commercially; it is aligned with the prioritization framework of the national government.93 110 There, however, appeared to be delays in the signing of tripartite vaccine deals or multiparty agreements (MPAs), with at least 42 agreements left unsigned and not acted upon, “leading to the delays in delivery of at least 10 million vaccines ordered by LGUs and private firms.” Both the Senate (Senate Resolution No. 858) and the House of Representatives (House Res. No. 2154) filed resolutions to look into the concerns and pending requests of local governments and the private sector regarding the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines through tripartite agreements. Both resolutions call for “transparency and more 89 CNN Philippines Staff (2021). WHO raises concern over spread of COVID-19 variants in parts of PH, sees ‘transmission within communities’. Retrieved from https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/4/23/WHO-concerned-COVIDvariant97s-Philippines-community-transmission.html 90 Cabalza, D. & Salaverria, L. (2021). FDA lets hospital use ivermectin for COVID-19. Retrieved from https://newsinfo. inquirer.net/1416655/fda-lets-hospital-use-ivermectin-for-COVID-19 91 CNN Philippines. (2021, April 22). Palace directs FDA to lead crackdown on illegal ivermectin. https://www.cnn.ph/ news/2021/4/22/fda-lead-crackdown-vs-illegal-ivermectin.html 92 HUMAN RIGHTS CENTERS MANAGEMENT OFFICE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS CENTER. (2021). Vaccination for All: Monitoring of the January to June 2021 COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout. Commission on Human Rights. 93 HUMAN RIGHTS CENTERS MANAGEMENT OFFICE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS CENTER. (2021). Vaccination for All: Monitoring of the January to June 2021 COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout. Commission on Human Rights.