By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/ PNA
MANILA – National Task Force Against Covid-19 Special Adviser Dr. Teodoro Herbosa is confident the Philippines will be able to use the two million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines recently delivered through the COVAX Facility before they expire in June and July.
“Ako sa tingin ko, walang masasayang diyan, kasi ‘yong kalahating milyon diyan, ibibigay na natin as second dose para sa mga nabigyan natin noong una,” he said in a radio interview on Thursday (May 13).
The first 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine delivered last March were already administered as the first dose for front-liners, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities, he said.
Of the two million fresh batch of donations, Herbosa noted that 1.5 million are expiring on June 30 and the remaining 500,000 on July 31.
Herbosa said the COVAX Facility would not release the said amount of vaccines if it thinks the Philippines would not be able to roll them out as soon as possible.
“Hindi ‘yan ibibigay ng COVAX kung sa tingin nila’y hindi kayang ubusin ng Pilipinas kasi maraming bansang nanghihingi, so ina-analyze ng COVAX or WHO (World Health Organization) ‘yong absorptive capacity ng isang country,” he said.
“So nakita nila na maganda ‘yong ating vaccine deployment program, at iyon nga mayroon tayong mga mayor na naghihintay ng dose nila dahil mabilis silang magbakuna,” he added.
Herbosa said the country has about 3,200 vaccination sites, soon to be augmented by the construction of mega vaccination facilities.
“Ilagay mo lang ‘yon sa 100 vaccinees a day, 300,000 a day na ang kaya nating bakunahan, so ‘yong problema ng supply na nagiging reklamo nung ibang mga mayors noon ay hindi na natin magiging problema sa dami ng na-deliver sa atin” he said. (PNA) -jlo
