San Juan City signs deal for AstraZeneca COVID vaccines

CHEAPEST SO FAR The COVID-19 vaccine of AstraZeneca will cost only $5 for two shots.—AFP

MANILA, Philippines — San Juan City has signed a tripartite agreement with British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca and the national government for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines. 

In a statement on Monday, Mayor Francis Zamora said he signed the agreement on Sunday to provide residents of the city with the vaccines “at the earliest possible time.”

“This is just the beginning of our efforts to provide a safe vaccine against COVID-19 to our constituents in San Juan City. AstraZeneca is a trusted institution that partnered with Oxford University in the United Kingdom to come up with an effective vaccine to finally put this pandemic behind us,” he said. 

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora

He did not mention the number of doses involved in the deal.

 Zamora, however, said the city government has allotted P50 million for the purchase of the vaccines for its constituents. 

“If the P50 million allocation is not enough, the city government, through our City Council, is ready to add more funds so that all constituents who wish to get the vaccine may get it from the San Juan City LGU for free,” he added. 

San Juan City launched a registration program for the COVID-19 vaccination last January 4.

As of the Sunday evening, a total of 8,310 individuals have already signed up for the inoculation drive.

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