Galvez: Only a week delay in arrival of vaccines from COVAX Facility

(FILE PHOTO) Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) head and vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. (Senate PRIB file photo / Henz Austria

MANILA, Philippines — Delay in the arrival of vaccines from the World Health Organization-led COVAX Facility will only be for one week, the country’s vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. assured Friday.

“I think the delay is only for one week,” Galvez said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel.

Deputy chief implementer of the National Task Force Against Covid-19 Vince Dizon disclosed Thursday that arrival of 117,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine via COVAX Facility will be delayed due to a hitch in the processing of documents. But Dizon declined to say which documents were causing such delay.

Galvez, however, said they are already ironing out the indemnity agreement between COVAX and the Philippine government to prevent further delays in the delivery of the vaccines.

“’Yung tinatawag nating delay is not coming from the Philippine government. We are only on the receiving end. We are finishing our documentation on time,” Galvez said.

(The delay is not coming from the Philippine government. We are only on the receiving end. We are finishing our documentation on time.)

“Pero tinatawag natin ‘yung indemnification clause, matagal na po namin hinahanap ‘yun pero binigay lang po only this week. Now, our lawyers are trying to finish it today. So we don’t have any more obstruction on the delivery of the vaccine,” he added.

(But the indemnification clause, we have been looking for it but it was only given this week. Now, our lawyers are trying to finish it today. So we don’t have any more obstruction on the delivery of the vaccine.)

Earlier, Galvez sought for the legislation of indemnification for vaccine recipients who may suffer side effects of the Covid-91 vaccines.

Galvez explained that under the indemnification clause, COVAX and vaccine manufacturers are not liable for vaccine injuries as the national government shall assume responsibility for the use of its jabs.

READ: Gov’t wants compensation fund set up for vaccine injuries

The Philippines was originally expecting the delivery of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines from the COVAX Facility by mid-February.

KGA