Gov’t expects delivery of 22.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines this month

MANILA, Philippines — The government is expecting to receive around 22.7 million doses of different COVID-19 vaccines – either through procurement or donation – this August.

Data presented by Heath Usec Myrna Cabotaje, also the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) chairperson, showed that the vaccine deliveries were from American brands Moderna and Pfizer, British-Swedish pharmaceutical AstraZeneca, and Chinese manufacturers Sinovac Biotech and Sinopharm.

At least two shipments will be coursed through the vaccine sharing platform Covax Facility: some three million doses of Moderna vaccine and three million more doses from a yet undisclosed brand.

LOOK: Expected COVID-19 vaccine deliveries for August. @inquirerdotnet pic.twitter.com/TG6emY4Pd8

— Cathrine Gonzales (@cgonzalesINQ) August 3, 2021

“We are negotiating for another 1.6 million from Sinovac to fill in our gaps, for a total of 22.7 million expected deliveries for August 2021,” Cabotaje told an online media briefing on Tuesday.

But Cabotaje said the government aims to receive a total of 25 million vaccine doses for August.

Cabotaje said that from February to July this year, the country has received 33.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

Once the expected deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines this August are fulfilled, the country’s total stockpile of anti-coronavirus shots will reach 56.5 million doses.

The Philippines has so far administered 21 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Data from NVOC showed that 11.8 million Filipinos are partially vaccinated while 9.3 million are currently fully vaccinated.

“Based on earlier projection, we are looking at 22.7 million. So baka dagdagan pa ito (this can still increase) so we can have the 25 million doses delivered in August as our target,” she noted.

For August, Cabotaje said the government likewise aims to administer three million doses per week or a total of 12 million doses; sustain the average daily vaccinations of 600,000 to 700,000, depending on supply; fully vaccinate 15 million people; achieve full protection for healthcare workers; and administer five million doses to senior citizens.

The government aims to vaccinate around 70 million individuals to achieve herd immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes serious respiratory illness COVID-19.

The government has been trying to ramp up vaccine supplies as well as its inoculation drive against the coronavirus amid threats posed by SARS-CoV-2’s more transmissible Delta variant.

KGA