NEW SHIPMENT. Airport personnel disinfect the new shipment of the government-procured Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccine after it arrives at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Thursday morning (April 29, 2021). The 500,000 more doses increased the Sinovac vaccines delivered so far in the country to 3.5 million, including 1 million donated by Chinese government. (PNA Photo by Joey Razon)
MANILA – The Philippines on Thursday received a new shipment of Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccine, increasing the country’s Covid-19 jabs from China to 3.5 million doses.
National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and other government officials welcomed the arrival of 500,000 more doses of CoronaVac vaccine via Cebu Pacific commercial flight at 7:35 a.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2.
Galvez said the additional government-procured vaccines will be distributed to the local government units with the highest cases of Covid-19 particularly Laguna, Cavite, Bulacan, Batangas, Pampanga, Baguio, Cordillera Administrative Region, Iloilo, Negros, and Tacloban.
The arrival of 500,000 doses completed the government-procured 1.5 million doses targeted to arrive for the month of April.
The country’s received the first batch of 600,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine on Feb. 28 and additional 400,000 vaccines on March 24, all donated by the Chinese government to the Philippines.
On March 29, the Philippines received the first 1 million of the 25 million doses of Covid-19 procured by the government from Sinovac Biotech with no less than President Rodrigo Duterte leading the arrival ceremony.
In a Palace press briefing on Thursday, Galvez said additional 1.5 million doses of Sinovac vaccine will arrive on May 7.
On top of the Chinese vaccines, the government expects the delivery of Russian's Gamaleya Sputnik vaccines in May, and more vaccines under the World Health Organization-led COVAX Facility.
The country already received 525,600 AstraZeneca vaccines through COVAX Facility last month.
Galvez said the target to vaccinate up to 70 million of the country's population this year remains achievable since the AstraZeneca jabs ordered by private firms in partnership with the government are arriving by the middle of the year.
"By June, the vaccines from US manufacturer Moderna are expected to arrive," he added.
Meanwhile, Chief of Presidential Protocol and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs Robert Borje said President Rodrigo Duterte’s independent foreign policy is helpful in getting more vaccines from different foreign sources.
"We follow the directive of the President to maintain independent foreign policy, we are buying not just from one manufacturer. Sa lahat ng pagkakataon na pwedeng magka-partnership tayo, (In every chance that we get a partnership,) we have to establish relations. This will open up areas for cooperation that will help us with our future endeavors," Borje told the media during the arrival of 500,000 Sinovac vaccines.
Pray for India
Galvez and Borje urged the Filipinos to pray for India which is experiencing the worst Covid-19 surge.
"We needed the vaccines that we were expecting from AstraZeneca. It largely affected our plan of mass inoculation but we have to sympathize with India now. We hope that their situation gets better," Galvez said.
The second wave of Covid-19 infections in India has caused over 300,000 people to test positive for the coronavirus disease in a single day for the past week.
Covid-19 daily cases in India reached 360,960 on Wednesday, taking the country’s total caseload to 17.99 million.
"What's happening in India right now, it just proves that everyone is affected and is suffering in this pandemic. But we also have to look for each other, as the President would say, 'no one is safe until everyone is safe'," Borje said
Malacañang said on Thursday said the Philippines, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), will send assistance to India.
“I’m sure po, pinagiisipan na iyan ng ating Department of Foreign Affairs kung paano rin tayo makakatulong sa India (I’m sure the Department of Foreign Affairs, is now looking for ways on how to help India),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a virtual presser.
Roque said he would ask the DFA about the possible aid the Philippines would give to India. (PNA)
