6M Covid-19 vax doses expected to arrive this week

LIFE-SAVING JABS. Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. (right), National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief, leads officials in sticking ‘Resbakuna’ signs on boxes of Moderna vaccines at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City on Sunday (Aug. 15, 2021). To date, the Philippines has already received 42,575,350 doses of various vaccine brands, both donated and procured. (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)

The government expects some six million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to arrive this week.

National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF) chief Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the expected deliveries include four million doses of government procured Sinovac which will arrive in two equal shipments of on August 19 and 20.

Galvez said the Chinese government will also send its donation of one million doses of Sinopharm on August 21, while about 594,000 doses of AstraZeneca jabs purchased by the private sector will arrive on August 22.

In addition, some 400,000 to 500,000 doses of Moderna are also scheduled for delivery this week. The country has received over 8.7 million doses this month.

Galvez said they are in talks with the American embassy “because we purchased 65 million doses of Prizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna” adding that the NTF already requested the manufacturers to set an advance delivery.

The Vaccine Czar shared that to date, the Philippines has a total of 42,575,350 doses, of which 23,704,090 were procured by the national government, 2,935,000 bought by local governments and the private sector; and 15,936,260 from the COVAX Facility and bilateral donations.