The Philippines will receive more American-made COVID-19 vaccines after the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) assisted the country talk with manufacturers and donors to augment deliveries, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Thursday.
In his report to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Galvez said WHO made an official pronouncement for additional COVID-19 vaccine delivery, particularly from US drugmaker Pfizer.
The official visit of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin in the United States was a success, as Moderna, another US company, promised to send more COVID-19 jabs to the Philippines, he said.
The Filipino officials talked with the officials of the US State Department, and expressed the country’s gratitude for America’s initial donation of six million doses of vaccines through the global COVAX vaccine-sharing program.
Before US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires John Law left the country, Galvez said the US official promised an additional vaccine donation for the Philippines.
“At ito na nga po na nagdagdag po sila ng additional Pfizer na more or less 4.5 million para maging — mabuo po ‘yung 10 million. So nagpapasalamat din po kami sa WHO sa kanilang masusing pag-ano po, pagfa-follow up sa ating mga donors,” he said.
With the help of the USAID, Moderna pledged to send this month 5 million doses of the jab. “So magsisimula po sila bukas at saka sa Sunday baka magkaroon po tayo ng mga deliveries from Moderna,” Galvez said.
So far, a total of 57.5 million doses have been delivered to the country with 39.5 million already administered. Twenty two million Filipinos got their first dose while there are 17.3 million who already completed the full dose.
“Kung titingnan po natin ito ay nagre-represent ng 22.5 percent ng 70 percent ng total eligible populations or 15.7 percent ng total population po natin,” he said.
Galvez, who is also the chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, said that the Philippines is expecting the full delivery of around 130.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines this year.
PND
