An additional batch of COVID-19 vaccine supply from an Asian pharmaceutical firm might arrive in the Philippines during the second or third quarter of 2021.
Indian Ambassador Shambu Kumaran confirmed on Thursday the arrival of Covovax vaccines of US Novavax. At least 30 million doses are currently being negotiated with the Serum Institute of India (SII), the manufacturer of the Novavax.
“We are very hopeful that this vaccine can reach early in the third quarter or the late second quarter of this year. So it will provide the backbone for the Philippines’ vaccination effort in the second half of 2021 this year,” Kumaran disclosed.
Atty. Joey Ochave, SVP for Social Partnerships of Unilab, said the arrival of Covovax may come earlier or in May.
Unilab is the partner of Faberco Life Sciences which is a local distributor of Covovax. Although many companies have expressed willingness to acquire Covovax doses, Unilab insisted the priority will still be health workers and senior citizens.
According to Dr. Luningning Villa, medical director of Faberco, Novavax was the first to conduct clinical trials focusing on the efficacy of vaccines versus new variants. Covovax reportedly has a 95.6 percent efficacy against the original strain of COVID-19, 85.6 percent efficacy against the UK variant, and 60.1 percent against the South African variant.
A study found out that the antibody response among recipients of Covovax is three to four times higher than those who recovered from the disease. The vaccine has two doses with an administration interval of three weeks and can be used for individuals 18 years-old to 84 years-old. The storage temperature requirement is between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. – Report from Mark Fetalco
