Gov’t may receive 20 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in 2nd quarter of 2021— vaccine czar
The government may secure more than 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the second quarter of this year, the country’s vaccine czar said on Monday.
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National Task Force against Coronavirus Disease-2019 (NTF COVID-19) chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. listens as President Rodrigo Roa Duterte presides over a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) core members at the Arcadia Active Lifestyle Center in Matina, Davao City on March 8, 2021. JOEY DALUMPINES/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
In his report to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the Philippines may receive more than 20 million doses of vaccines in April, May or June.
Galvez,
who is also the chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19,
told the President that in June or July, he expects shipments from Sinovac,
Novavax and the World Health Organization-led COVAX facility.
“And
then also ‘yong ano sir sa May - June, baka dumating na rin po ‘yong
AstraZeneca. Mayroon pong order ang private sector na 2.6 million (doses),”
Galvez told President Duterte.
The
vaccine czar also reported the recent vaccine shipment, telling the President
that they have received the additional 38,400 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from
the COVAX facility.
With
the latest delivery, the government had a total of 525,600 doses from the
WHO-led initiative.
“Then
ngayon, ang total na po ng ating doses na dumating po ngayon is from 600,000 na
Sinovac at saka 525,600. So ang total na po mayroon na po tayong 1,125,600
doses,” Galvez said.
Galvez
also mentioned the ongoing vaccine rollout in the country, which he said, is
now being done outside Metro Manila. The government started mass vaccination
among health frontliners last March 4 in Cagayan de Oro City, Vicente Sotto
Memorial Hospital in Cebu City, and Southern Philippines Medical Center in
Davao City.
Mass
inoculation was also conducted in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (BARMM) using Sinovac vaccine, he reported, adding similar rollouts
were done in different civilian hospitals including Makati Medical Center.
Public
confidence on COVID-19 vaccines is also increasing, Galvez said, noting that
after hospital directors received the shots, there’s a growing acceptance of
the jab from the people.
“Noong
nagkaroon po tayo ng vaccination ng ating mga director ng mga hospital, tumaas
po ang level ng kanilang confidence,” he said.
“In
fact, doon sa Northern Mindanao Medical Center, almost --- halos 100 percent
‘yong nagpapabakuna na.” PND
