Malacañang has announced the government is now ready to roll out and start its Covid-19 vaccination on drive by February 15.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, in a recent online press briefing, said the first batch of the vaccines that will come from Pfizer-BioNtech and AstraZeneca under the sealed agreement with the COVAX Facility.
“What the COVAX Facility told us in its letter is that, it will be made available, it will come to us by mid February that’s that’s why I’m saying we are definitely prepared for the vaccination drive by February 15,” Roque said.
He, however, said there is no definite date yet for the arrival of the vaccines, but it would only take a day or two to start the vaccination program once the first batch arrives.
National Policy Against Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., said some 117,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer pharmaceutical company will be the first to arrive and delivered in one tranche.
It would be followed by the arrival of around 5,500,000 to 9,290,400 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to be delivered on the first and second quarter of this year, he added.
Galvez said the government will strictly follow the regulation of the World Health Organization (WHO) in using the vaccines acquired from the COVAX Facility including the prioritization of healthcare workers, vulnerable sector, and indigent senior citizens in the country’s inoculation plan.