PH secures 25M doses of Sinovac vaccines

Malacañang confirmed on Monday that the Philippines has secured 25 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Sinovac of China which will begin to arrive in the country in February.

Based on the timeline shared by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, at least 50,000 doses are set to be delivered in February, 950,000 doses in March, a million doses each in April and May, and two million doses in June. The completion of the delivery of 25 million doses is expected by the end of 2021.

“Ang paunang darating po ay 50,000 doses lamang. Ito ay in addition doon sa 15,000 na clinical trial na gagawin dito sa Pilipinas (The first 50,000 doses is in addition to the 15,000 doses for the clinical trial here in the Philippines),” Roque detailed.

Malacaῆang assured that the vaccine has been proven to be safe and effective after undergoing several trials abroad, adding that even President Rodrigo Duterte would have himself vaccinated first.

“Si Presidente po, malinaw. Gusto nga niyang magpaturok kaagad. Gusto niya China o Russia. Ang tinatanong, pwede bang pareho? Ang tingin ko, hindi (The President has been very clear. He wants to be inoculated immediately. He wants it from China or Russia. He has been asking if he can have both. I think it’s a no),” Roque shared.

“So kinakailangan mamili ang Presidente kung China o Russia. Pero dahil mauuna ang Tsino, baka naman po na unahin niya ang Tsino (So he needs to choose between China or Russia. Since the Chinese vaccine will come first, he might go for it),” Roque added.

Malacaῆang said the the priority areas for the vaccination are the National Capital Region (NCR), Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Region XI, and Region IV-A. The priority population are frontline health workers, indigent senior citizens, remaining senior citizens and indigent population, and uniformed personnel.

Individuals cannot choose the brand that will be administered to them since they will not be forced to be vaccinated.

“Pero magsa-sign ka ng waiver na hindi ka nagpaturok. At kapag ikaw ay prayoridad, mawawala ang pagiging prayoridad mo. Sasama ka roon sa the rest ng taumbayan na naghihintay ng bakuna (But you will have to sign a waiver that you refuse to be vaccinated. If you’re among the priorities, you will lose it. You will join the rest of the society waiting for vaccination),” Roque elucidated.

While local government units (LGUs) are having negotiations with vaccine developers to secure supply for their constituents, Malacanang clarified that the approval of the national government as part of the tripartite agreement is still required. – Report from Mela Lesmoras