Palace, DOH assure vaccines, medical supplies won’t be affected by Russia-Ukraine conflict

A health worker prepares Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines during a vaccination for residents in Mandaluyong City, suburban Manila on July 15, 2021. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health on Monday gave assurance that the country has sufficient supply of COVID-19 vaccines and other medical supplies amid the security situation in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

At the Palace briefing, acting presidential spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles was asked if the government is planning any safeguards to guarantee enough medical supplies, including vaccine doses, considering the raging conflict in the region.

“Right now, we’re confident that we have enough vaccine supply now dito sa ating bansa. In fact, we are so confident, hinihikayat natin na lahat ng pwedeng magpa-booster ay magpa-booster na po. So, na-secure na po natin ang mga kinakailangan nating supply ng vaccines dito sa ating bansa,” Nograles said.

(Right now, we’re confident that we have enough vaccine supply in our country. In fact, we are so confident that we encourage those without a booster shot to get one. So, we secured the needed vaccine supply in our country.)

READ: Palace urges fully vaxxed Pinoys to get booster shots

“We’re also very confident na whatever tension is happening now in Ukraine that we, with the international community also, will ensure that the vaccine supplies needed for the Philippines will not be hampered or delayed,” he continued.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire echoed Nograles, saying that 171 million out of the 225 million vaccine supply were already administered and there is still a stockpile.

She added that the country’s healthcare system is prepared if it would be affected by the tensions between the two foreign nations.

“Tungkol naman po sa mga ibang medical technologies katulad po ng mga gamot para po sa COVID-19, ang kagandahan po nung ating nagkaroon tayo ng sitwasyon ng Omicron dito sa ating bansa, kahit papa’no po’y nagkaroon naman tayo ng mga negotiations at commitment galing sa manufacturers. Nagkaroon tayo ng stockpiling,” said Vergeire during the same briefing.

(Regarding the other medical technologies like the medicines for COVID-19, the good thing is that when Omicron hit the country, we have negotiations from manufacturers. We still have stockpiles.)

“So, hopefully, hindi tayo maapektuhan. Kung maapektuhan man, handa po ang ating healthcare system para po dito po sa mga kakailanganin natin kung saka-sakaling magkakaroon po ng ganitong epekto sa pagdi-distribute ng ating logistics,” she went on.

(So, hopefully, we would not be affected. In case we do, our healthcare system is ready for our needs if there would be an impact on the distribution of logistics.)

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine last February 24, fueling fears of increases in prices of oil and other basic commodities.

Europe also supplies several coronavirus medical implements such as COVID-19 vaccines manufactured by the Russian Gamaleya Institute (Sputnik V), and that of AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

EDV