The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines is set to arrive in the country two weeks from now, Malacaῆang assured on Thursday.
Aside from the 117,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines from the COVAX Facility earlier announced to arrive within February, around 600,000 doses of vaccines from China’s Sinovac are also expected to come in.
“Ang bakuna po na Sinovac na galing po sa China, nakaukit na po sa bato ang pagdating. Ito po ang abente-tres ng Pebrero (The arrival of Sinovac vaccine from China is set. It will be on February 23),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque disclosed.
Considering that the Sinovac has not yet been granted emergency use approval, Sec. Roque said “it will be stored until such time that it is approved.” If it happens otherwise, “it will be sent back”.
Meanwhile, Vince Dizon, National Task Force Against Covid-19 Deputy Chief Implementer, explained that there is a slight delay in the arrival of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines due to document processing with the COVAX Facility and the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Pero kampante po tayo na darating ito sa mga susunod na linggo, within the month of February (But we are confident of the arrival in the coming weeks, within the month of February),” Dizon assured.
Under the Philippine vaccine rollout plan for 2021, the first quarter mini rollout will cover medical frontline workers and uniformed personnel with three to five million doses from COVAX and 1.5 million from early deliveries.
The second quarter will include priority sectors such as poor communities and economic frontline workers.
Around 9.29 million doses will come from COVAX and 10 to 15 million from government-purchased vaccines.
The full rollout is scheduled on the third and fourth quarters of 2021 with the expected major deliveries of vaccines to make possible the inoculation of around 70 million Filipinos. – Report from Sweeden Velado-Ramirez
