PH secures 17 M doses of AstraZeneca vaccine

January 15 ------ The Philippine government, through the business sector and the Local Government Units (LGUs), has secured 17 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, but the delivery would likely be in the second semester of this year. Carlito Galvez, vaccine czar and chief implementer of the National Task Force on COVID-19, said the 17 million doses of the AstraZeneca that were sealed by the government, through the donations of more than 300 companies and allocation of LGUs, would inoculate more or less 8.5 million Filipinos since each individual needs two doses for the vaccination.

This means that part of the 17 million doses are the agreements that were signed by the 39 LGUs, which include Makati City, Pasig City, Manila and Davao City, for the inoculation of their respective constituents. During Thursday’s ceremonial signing of the agreement for the procurement of the AstraZeneca vaccine branded as a “A Dose of Hope”, Galvez said the tripartite agreement is part of the government’s collective effort to vaccinate 50 to 70 million Filipinos this year.

“Our event for today is anchored on providing safe, effective and free vaccines for all Filipinos. This initiative is not only a dose of hope but a pound of inspiration that will help us realize our collective goal of inoculating 50 to 70 million Filipinos this year,” said Galvez in his speech. Aside from AstraZeneca, the Philippine government is also procuring vaccines from other companies that include Pfizer and Sinovac from China. At least 50,000 doses of Sinovac is expected to arrive next month and would start the vaccination program in the country.

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said they are also looking for other vaccine manufacturers as more companies are expected to donate in a bid to jumpstart the economy amid the adverse impact of the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) on the business sector. In fact, he said he would be meeting with another vaccine supplier next week for the procurement of more vaccines. But he insisted that the tripartite agreement should serve as the format for the procurement of vaccines. He said a total of 335 companies and LGUs are involved in the agreement for the 17 million doses for the price of more or less P6 billion.

Source: mb.com.ph