Robredo credits Galvez for securing Covid-19 vaccines from Covax

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday cited vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. for the inoculation shots secured by the country from the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access (Covax) Facility.

“Tingin ko, to the credit of Secretary Galvez na isa tayo sa mga unang makakatanggap na galing dito sa Covax Facility,” Robredo said in her regular radio program Biserbisyong Leni.

(I think this is to the credit of Secretary Galvez that we are one of the first to get vaccines from the Covax Facility.)

Covax Facility is a global initiative aimed at securing equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines worldwide. Gavi, an international organization created to improve access to new and underused vaccines, is co-leading Covax together with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the World Health Organization, in collaboration with vaccine manufacturers.

Galvez, chief implementer of the national pandemic action plan, earlier announced that the country is set to receive 117,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines through Covax within the first quarter of 2021.

Apart from the Pfizer vaccines, he said the Philippines will also receive some five to nine million doses of Covid-19 vaccines developed by British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca, with the initial delivery expected between mid to late February.

The country is also seeking to increase to one million the number of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines from the Covax Facility, according to Galvez.

Meanwhile, Robredo likewise praised the identification of four Covid-19 referral hospitals of which health workers will first get inoculated against the respiratory disease once the vaccines arrive this month.

Galvez earlier identified the four hospitals as the Philippine General Hospital in Manila, Lung Center of the Philippines and East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City, and Dr. Jose Natalio Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center (Tala Hospital) in Caloocan City.

But despite praising this strategy, Robredo said it would be better if the names of health workers who will get the vaccines are now identified. She noted that the vaccination process is “time-bound” since such medical items should not be stored longer than the allowed period.

“Sabihin na natin na 117,000 people, dapat alam na natin ‘yung mga pangalan. Alam na noong mga matuturukan na sila ‘yung first priority para hindi nagsasayang ng oras,” Robredo said.

(Let us say there are 117,000 people. Their names should be identified by now. Those who will be vaccinated should know that they are the first priority so that time will not be wasted.)

“Walang problema kung available na kaagad na sabay-sabay pero kung paunti-unti ‘yung pag-deliver, kailangan ‘yung tuturukan alam na niya ‘yung kanyang schedule at dapat mayroon na rin tayong assessment kung sino ‘yung may resistance magpaturok para hindi nasasayang,” she added.

(There is no problem if all the vaccines will arrive simultaneously, but if the delivery will be on a staggered basis, those who will get the vaccines should know their schedule. We should likewise have an assessment on who has resistance on the vaccination so that no vaccine would be wasted.)

The DOH earlier said the master list of healthcare workers who will be prioritized in the Covid-19 vaccination would be ready by February 15.

JE