VACCINE ROLL OUT “BEST CASE SCENARIO” BY Q1 2021
MANILA - National
Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 Chief Implementer and vaccine czar Secretary
Carlito Galvez, Jr. on Wednesday assured the public that the government is
still on track of its implementation of the roadmap for COVID-19 vaccination.
This after he
said that there is a chance for them to roll out COVID-19 vaccines by the first
quarter next year, much earlier than the initial projected implementation by
May 2021.
“We are still on
track considering the possibility that our best case scenario will be shifted
to the first quarter,” he said during the Laging Handa Public Briefing.
Secretary Galvez,
who is also the country’s designated vaccine czar, said they continue to
explore different COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to reach the target purchase
of 50 million to 60 million doses.
“For now, if we
will succeed in negotiating with 2 or 3 vaccines from different countries, we
might be able to get it during the first quarter,” he said noting they are
already in talks with companies from China, Australia, and India. The country
is also exploring engagements with different manufacturers from the United
States and Russia.
China’s Sinovac
and Sinopharm already committed that once negotiations push through in the
coming weeks, their vaccines may be available in 60-90 days.
He stressed that
the anti-COVID body is still negotiating for the price and volume of the
vaccines to ensure safe, effective, and affordable products to be able to
provide equitable access for the marginalized and vulnerable sectors.
“We’re looking
forward to having 10 million to 15 million or even 20 million vaccines from
each of these vaccine makers. Pero kagaya nga po ng sinasabi ng ating mahal na Pangulo at ni
Senator Bong Go, kailangan po nating piliin ang safe, effective, at tsaka tinatawag
na affordable para po tayo ay magkaroon ng tinatawag na equitable access para
sa mahihirap at ng vulnerable sectors [As what President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
and Senator Bong Go said, we need to choose the vaccine that's safe effective,
and affordable so that we can have equitable access for the poor and the
vulnerable sectors],” he said.
Secretary Galvez
also noted that they will be employing the whole-of-nation approach on the
distribution of the vaccines once available.
“The strategy
that we are having now is the whole-of nation approach kasi nakita natin that
the private sector, they have used their resources also. They have private
hospitals that can be utilized as vaccine centers and also the academe with
hospitals, those universities with medical courses, they can be used as vaccination
centers,” he said.
