The Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said it had authorised the emergency use of the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE. The Pfizer-BioNTech shot, which has shown a 95 per cent success rate, is the first vaccine the Philippines has approved. The move came a day after President Rodrigo Duterte defended his government’s decision to purchase Chinese-made coronavirus vaccines , saying they were as good as the shots developed by the Americans and the Europeans. Brazil finds Sinovac vaccine to be less effective than previous data shows “The Chinese are not lacking in brains,” Duterte said in a late-night televised address on Wednesday. “The Chinese are bright. They would not venture (into producing vaccines) if it is not safe, sure and secure.” Duterte made the remarks as questions have been raised over the level of protection Sinovac Biotech’s experimental Covid-19 vaccine can provide, after researchers in Brazil released late-stage clinical data showing efficacy that was lower than initially announced. At least one Philippine senator, Francis Pangilinan, called on the government to cancel the purchase of the Sinovac vaccine, one of seven it is lining up as it plans to begin immunisations next month. Manila has locked in 25 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine, with the first 50,000 expected to arrive in February. Carlito Galvez, a former general in charge of the vaccination procurement effort, said the government has also firmed up supply deals with Novavax, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Russia’s Gamaleya Institute for 137 million doses in total. These are on top of 40 million doses the Philippines expects to receive through the World Health Organization’s Covax facility in the first quarter, Galvez said. Australian scientists question effects of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine The Philippines has among the most coronavirus cases in Asia but has trailed regional peers in securing vaccines, with which it hopes this year to inoculate 70 million people, or two-thirds of its population. On Wednesday, authorities said a passenger who arrived from the UAE was detected with the variant of Covid-19 that recently emerged in Britain, becoming the first case in the Philippines. The patient, who arrived on January 7, is under quarantine and authorities are tracking the other passengers from the flight, the Department of Health said in a statement on Wednesday. New Zealand to let some international students return New Zealand will allow 1,000 international students to return from April, more than a year after the country closed its border to guard against the coronavirus pandemic. Students who began their study in New Zealand but were caught offshore when Covid-19 border restrictions began would be able to return, education minister Chris Hipkins said in a statement on Thursday. Pacific Islands look to US, Australia, New Zealand for Covid-19 vaccines The exemption is for students studying at degree level or above and priority will be given to students who are closest to graduation, Hipkins said. Hipkins said the students would have to pay for their stay in a mandatory two-week managed isolation facility on their arrival into the country. “Our top priority continues to be the health, safety and well-being of all people in New Zealand,” Hipkins said. When will Hong Kong, mainland China get Covid-19 shots? A cohort of 300 students would be welcomed in April, with remaining students returning throughout the year as managed isolation availability allowed. Students would also need to be able to support themselves in the country, with living expenses required for international students to be granted a visa raised to NZ$20,000 (US$14,400). New Zealand's border has only been open to residents and citizens and those who qualify under a handful of exemptions since March 2020. Australia defends its vaccine approach The Australian government reaffirmed confidence in its “portfolio approach” to Covid-19 vaccines as the nation prepares to inoculate its population next month. “That has been the best medical advice available to us. What we know with the AstraZeneca vaccine is that it’s safe, that it’s available, that it can be manufactured here, it can be transported at normal refrigeration levels,” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Thursday. The clarification comes after some medical groups called for the government to pause the roll-out of the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine because of concern that it may not be effective enough to generate herd immunity. “The AstraZeneca vaccine saves lives and it is important,” Frydenberg told Sky News. Reporting by Reuters, DPA, Bloomberg