FILE PHOTO: Vials with a sticker reading, “COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only” and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
MANILA, Philippines — Doses of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine that the Philippine government will purchase from British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca will “most probably” arrive in the country by the second quarter of 2021, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Friday.
“Most probably sa second quarter [ng 2021] po ang usapan namin, at ‘yun ang best case scenario,” he said in an interview on ABS-CBN’s TeleRadyo.
(Most probably, by the second quarter of 2021. That is the best-case scenario.)
Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr., Chief Implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) COVID-19 and vaccine czar
The Philippine government, along with the private sector, will sign on Friday a tripartite agreement with AztraZeneca for the purchase of two million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The cost of the vaccines will be shouldered by the private sector
In an agreement with the private sector, Galvez said one million doses will be given to the government, where the indigent population, healthcare workers and frontliners will be prioritized, while the remaining one million will be allotted to employees of the private sector.
The private sector will likewise prioritize their “poorest of the poor” employees and their frontliners such as drivers, security guards and bank tellers, Galvez said.
“Habang gusto natin i-contain ‘yung pandemic, kailangan din po na protektahan natin yung economy natin,” he said.
(While we want to contain the pandemic, we must also protect our economy.)
“This is an assurance na confidence building sa consumers sa malls na secured po sila,” he added.
(This will be an assurance to consumers that workers in malls are secured.)
To test the safety and efficacy of the AztraZeneca vaccine, the pharmaceutical firm will conduct clinical trials in the country, Galvez said.
He added that five other firms are slated to conduct clinical trials in the country, including China’s Sinovac and Russia’s Sputnik V.
The Philippine government on Friday will also sign a confidential disclosure agreement with US drugmaker Pfizer to start negotiations on their COVID-19 vaccine.