FILE PHOTO: Walmart pharmacist holds a vial of the Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine inside a Walmart department store as Walmart and other major U.S. pharmacies take part in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, to increase vaccinations in the U.S. in West Haven, Connecticut, U.S., February 17, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Segar/
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines can expect to receive Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine via the COVAX facility after it secured an emergency use listing (EUL) from the World Health Organization, the Department of Health (DOH) said Saturday.
“Yes, that’s one of the conditions actually, that there’s this EUL from WHO,” DOH spokesperson Ma. Rosario Vergeire said in a televised briefing when asked if the Philippines could receive Moderna vaccines from the COVAX facility after it was granted an EUL by WHO.
The WHO listing procedure helps countries unable to assess a vaccine’s effectiveness themselves have access as quickly as possible and allow the COVAX vaccine sharing scheme and other partners to distribute it to poorer countries.
“Maganda pong balita iyan dahil talaga pong madadagdagan po yung puwedeng i-provide ng COVAX facility para sa mga participating country,” Vergeire added.
(That’s good news because this increases the vaccines that could be provided by the COVAX facility to participating countries.)
Other COVID-19 vaccines that have so far been granted an EUL by WHO are those developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Janssen Pharmaceutical or Johnson & Johnson.
The EUL procedure streamlines the process by which new or unlicensed products can be assessed for use during public health emergencies.
The Philippines is expecting to get 2.3 million Pfizer vaccines from the COVAX facility “not later than June.”