The first shipment of Moderna vaccines was unloaded at NAIA on Sunday, June 27, 2021. (File photo from the National Task Force Against COVID-19)
MANILA, Philippines — Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. apologized on Wednesday for the delay in replenishing the dwindling supply of COVID-19 vaccines, which had caused some local governments in Metro Manila to limit their vaccination coverage or even suspend the first dose vaccinations.
The first and last weeks of the month are usually “lean weeks” or “dry supply” because those are the times when vaccine manufacturers prepare for deployment or inventory of their products, Galvez explained in a taped briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte.
Deliveries are usually made during the second or third week of the month, he added.
“We are asking for patience for the unavoidable delays in deliveries that have slowed down of our vaccine rollout,” he said, speaking partly in Filipino. “Normally, the deliveries are delayed during the first week and last week of the month.”
The Philippines has so far received 17 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, 11.9 million of which have been administered.
Of the administered doses, nine million were first doses and 2.9 million were second doses.
According to Galvez, the Philippines expect to receive at least 16 million vaccine doses this month, including three million doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine donated by the US government through the COVAX facility.
The local government units in Metro Manila that had to suspend or limit their vaccinations were Parañaque, Muntinlupa, Malabon, Valenzuela, Makati, Caloocan, and Pateros.
Meanwhile, the vaccine supply of Pasig has been dwindling and would only last for a few more days.