National Policy Against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. (Screengrab from RTVM)
MANILA – The government is targeting the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines produced by drugmakers Novavax and AstraZeneca on the second quarter this year, National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., said Monday night.
"We are negotiating na magkaroon po ng ano, magkaroon po ng second quarter na rollout, especially ‘yung Novavax po at saka ‘yung (to have the rollout by the second quarter, especially for Novavax and) AstraZeneca," Galvez said during a Cabinet meeting on Covid-19 response with President Rodrigo Duterte.
Galvez said the government has already signed term sheets -- a non-binding agreement outlining terms and conditions of a potential agreement -- with five pharmaceutical firms that could secure up to 108 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines for the country.
"On our negotiations, we have already signed the term sheet of five. We have already locked in the supply of 106 to 108 million doses including po yung sa single dose,” he said.
The government is yet to finalize supply agreements with various Covid-19 vaccine makers, he added.
“All in all, by this February, second week, we’re trying to come up with the supply agreements with the vaccine manufacturers and we will also include the two remaining contracts we are negotiating,” said Galvez.
Galvez did not mention which vaccine manufacturers are involved in supplying the country with the jabs.
"We are preparing also for a definitive supply agreement and then also the finalization of contracts by mid of February,” he said.
He said the bulk of vaccine supplies will be arriving by the third and fourth quarters of this year.
"So we are expecting more or less 30 to 50 million doses per quarter during ano -- during the third and fourth quarter," he added.
Galvez earlier said the government has ongoing negotiations with pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Sinovac, Gamaleya, Novavax, and Serum Institue of India.
“We are expecting up to 146 to 148 million doses. This is excluding the COVAX [facility where] we are assured to have more or less 40 million doses,” he said.
At least 5.6 million doses of vaccines produced by pharmaceutical firms Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca Inc. are set to arrive in the country within the first quarter of this year, Galvez said. (PNA)
