(FILE PHOTO) Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. gives an update to President Rodrigo Duterte during a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) core members at the Malacañang Palace on October 6, 2021. KING RODRIGUEZ/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has received the last shipment of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the United States government days before the Duterte administration ends its term, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Tuesday.
In a statement, Galvez said the shipment, which arrived on Monday, June 27, includes 299,520 doses of Pfizer vaccines from the COVAX facility.
These are intended for minors 12 years old and above.
Galvez said the shipment reflects the US government’s continued desire to help the country boost its national vaccination program and overall pandemic response.
He added that the donation also shows the US government’s support for President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s administration.
“Now, this will be our last donation to be received during the Duterte administration and it only shows the support of the US and other allies to the next government,” Galvez said.
Galvez said the government expects to receive about 17 million more COVID-19 jabs from COVAX in the coming months, and the facility also committed to replacing the expired vaccines.
“Tuloy-tuloy ang suporta lalo na ang expired vaccines, papalitan nila. And we are thankful for that generosity,” he said.
(There is continuous support, especially with the expired vaccines, they would replace them.)
The Philippines has received 245.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines so far – COVAX donated 74.2 million doses and the US government donated over 35.7 million.
As of June 26, the National Vaccination Operations Center recorded that the country has already administered 154,132,506 vaccine doses — where 70,358,612 Filipinos are recorded as fully vaccinated.
At least 14,947,878 first booster doses were also administered during the same period. — Christine Annie Asistio, INQUIRER.net trainee
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