PH receives 700K AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines donated by Australia

MANILA, Philippines — Some 700,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine donated by Australia were delivered to the Philippines on Wednesday morning.

The vaccine doses arrived via plane which landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3 at around 9:45 a.m, according to the National Task Force against COVID-19.

The delivery of the doses came days after the government started administering COVID-19 boosters to senior citizens and persons with comorbidities who received their vaccine doses at least six months ago.

The government first administered booster shots to health workers.

Approved booster shots for health workers are single doses of Pfizer, Sinovac, and AstraZeneca vaccines and half the regular dose of a Moderna vaccine.

So far, over 33.8 million Filipinos have completed the necessary doses of COVID-19, making them fully vaccinated against the illness, while 42.6 million have received at least their first dose.

The government is set to hold a three-day national vaccination drive on Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 with an aim to inoculate 15 million Filipinos.

EDV