525,600 AstraZeneca shots to arrive in PH by March, gov’t says

FILE PHOTO: Vials with AstraZeneca’s coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine are seen at the vaccination center in the Newcastle Eagles Community Arena, in Newcastle upon Tyne, Britain, January 30, 2021. REUTERS/Lee Smith

MANILA, Philippines — More than 500,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine made by British-Swede pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca are expected to be delivered in the Philippines by Monday, March 1, two government officials have confirmed Saturday.

In a statement, presidential spokesman Harry Roque disclosed that 525,600 doses are set to be delivered “as part of the first round of allocated doses from the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility.”

“This forms part of the 44 million doses of COVAX to inoculate 20% of our population. We thank the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) towards this end,” said Roque.

In a radio interview, Senator Bong Go said the AstraZeneca vaccine shots from the COVAX facility will be sent to the country for the mass inoculation of healthcare workers.

“So ngayon, ang importante may darating na bakuna mula sa COVAX sa darating na Lunes at magkakaroon ng pagpipilian ang mga frontliners natin,” Go said over DWIZ.

(What’s important is that vaccines from COVAX will arrive on Monday and will allow our frontliners to make their choice.)

“Dahil ang dadating sa Lunes ay galing sa AstraZeneca … nagkausap kami ni [vaccine czar] Sec [Carlito] Galvez [Jr.] ang darating ay 525,600 AstraZeneca vaccines. Ito po ay under sa COVAX facility,” he added.

(The vaccines that will arrive on Monday will be from AstraZeneca. Secretary Galvez told me that it will be 525,600 shots. It is under the COVAX facility.)

Go said the arrival of the AstraZeneca vaccines will give health workers the option to choose another vaccine should they refuse to be injected with the donated China-made Sinovac vaccines. The Sinovac vaccines are scheduled to arrive in the country on Sunday.

President Rodrigo Duterte recently signed into law a bill that will establish an indemnity fund of P500 million as well as to fast track the procurement of vaccines for mass immunization against Covid-19.

/MUF