PH to receive up to 40 million free Covid-19 vaccine doses from COVAX

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will receive up to 40 million free Covid-19 vaccines from the Gavi vaccine alliance COVAX facility, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Thursday.

“Ikinagagalak ko po na ang ating COVAX facility para sa Pilipinas ay naaprubahan na po.  Siguro meron po tayong 30 to  40 million na doses for free para po sa lahat, sa ating mga kababayan,” Galvez said in a televised briefing.

(We are happy to announce that the COVAX facility already approved the deployment of vaccines in the Philippines. We may get 30 to 40 million doses of vaccines for free.)

Galvez did not make mention of a specific vaccine that the country will receive from the COVAX facility, a platform that aims to ensure rapid, fair, and equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines for people in all countries.

But earlier, he said the Philippines might be able to get the Covid-vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer-BioNTech as early as February via COVAX facility.

Asked which vaccines the Philippines could receive from the COVAX facility, Galvez said it may be Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, COVAVAX developed by the Serum Institute of India, and Johnson & Johnsons.

“Talagang ito po ay global interest na we can contain yung virus through the WHO [World Health Organization] concept of equitable access to poor countries like us,” Galvez said.

(This is for the global interest to contain the virus through the WHO concept of equitable access to poor countries like us.)

Earlier, Galvez said the Philippines might be able to get the Covid-vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer-BioNTech as early as February via COVAX facility.

/MUF