By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora | Philippine News Agency
MANILA – The United States government has completed the delivery of its donated 5.57 million Pfizer vaccine doses to help boost the Philippines’ response against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
The US, through the COVAX Facility, delivered in five separate shipments a total of 5,575,050 vaccine doses to Manila, Cebu, and Davao between Oct. 1 to 6.
“The United States is very happy to be able to provide safe and effective vaccines not just to Manila, but to the greater Philippines and to the central and southern part of the Philippines as well,” US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim Heather Variava said Thursday (Oct. 7).
These additional donations were part of the 500 million Pfizer doses the US is making available for distribution globally through COVAX, an initiative to support equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines.
As the largest donor to the COVAX Facility, the US has facilitated the delivery of more than 21.6 million jabs to the Philippines, including more than 8.8 million doses directly donated by the American people.
The US Embassy in Manila said it would continue to work closely with the Philippines throughout the pandemic to protect public health and support the local response against the virus.
To date, the total US government’s Covid-19 assistance to the Philippines amounts to over P1.9 billion. (PNA) – bny
