An additional 500,000 doses of CoronaVac, the vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech, arrived in the country early Thursday morning (May 20).
The Cebu Pacific chartered Flight 5J671 landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 at 7:37 a.m. The doses were immediately brought to the PharmaServe cold storage facility in Marikina City.
According to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, the vaccine batch does not yet have its certificate of analysis. However, the doses will be distributed amid the growing vaccine demand, especially in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Duque urged the public, especially those under priority groups A2 and A3, to avoid being selective in terms of vaccine brand, noting that rejecting available vaccines is another chance for COVID-19 transmission to take place.
The government reiterated that all vaccines approved by regulatory authorities in the country are safe. As of May 20, the Philippines is using vaccines by Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Gamaleya, and Pfizer.
“Lahat ‘yan ay dumaan sa common process. Lahat ‘yan ay nagkaroon ng masusing pag-aaral na ligtas at epektibo,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in his public briefing on Thursday.
Meanwhile, authorities are advising the public to wait for a confirmed vaccination schedule before heading to vaccination sites.
Read more: Following process: What to do before trooping to vaccination sites
Report from Louisa Erispe/AG-jlo
