By Lade Jean Kabagani / Philippine News Agency
More Filipinos receiving primary doses of the COVID-19 vaccine is the best step for the gradual reopening of the economy and safe resumption of face-to-face classes, National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 medical consultant Dr. Ma. Paz Corrales said Saturday (Nov. 27).
Corrales said protecting each other is the best gift we can give to loved ones, the community, and the nation.
“It’s the best way of spending a merrier Christmas and a happy New Year,” Corrales said during the arrival of 1,746,160 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City.
The shipment completed the 5,225,200 doses donated by the United Kingdom to the Philippines through the COVAX Facility,
“Dapat po magpabakuna na tayo para po maprotektahan tayong lahat, kasi ‘pag nagpabakuna tayo, lesser infection, lesser mortality, and lesser number of patients. Lahat po tayo makakabalik na sa ating normal,” Corrales said in an interview.
Corrales was joined by NTF special adviser Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, British Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Alastair Walton Totty, NTF Director Francel Margareth Taborlupa, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) immunization consultant Rein Dalumpines, UNICEF procurement services officer Bernardo Bersola, and AstraZeneca market access lead Raymond Villaroman.
Totty said the latest shipment is “a powerful illustration” of equitable access to vaccines among developing countries, and that the British government has committed to donating 100,000 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines next year.
On Friday night (Nov. 26), Corrales also witnessed the arrival of 201,240 doses of government-procured Pfizer vaccine.
The Philippines has so far received 141,624,240 vaccine doses, both procured and donated, since February. (PNA) – jlo
