In observance of the Holy Week, the Philippine News Agency’s online news service will be off on March 29, Good Friday, and March 30, Black Saturday. Normal operations will resume on March 31, Easter Sunday.

— The Editors

Vaccination rate to “rebound” with deliveries of 10M jabs in June

By Lade Jean Kabagani

June 8, 2021, 7:33 pm

<p><strong>IATF-EID MEETING.</strong> Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. gives updates on the country’s vaccination program during the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte in Davao City on Monday (June 7, 2021). Galvez said the delayed delivery of Covid-19 vaccines in the fourth week of May and the first week of June has slowed down the country’s vaccination average rate. <em>(Presidential photo by Joey Dalumpines)</em></p>

IATF-EID MEETING. Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. gives updates on the country’s vaccination program during the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte in Davao City on Monday (June 7, 2021). Galvez said the delayed delivery of Covid-19 vaccines in the fourth week of May and the first week of June has slowed down the country’s vaccination average rate. (Presidential photo by Joey Dalumpines)

MANILA – The country's vaccination average rate has notably decreased due to lack of delivery of Covid-19 vaccines particularly on the last week of May and the first week of June, National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said.

"Bumaba po ang ating average vaccination considering that 'yong ating delivery po noong last week ng May at saka po 'yong first week of June ay naantala po (Our average [rate] in the vaccination [drive] went down, considering that our deliveries for the last week of May up to the first week of June were delayed),” Galvez said during the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte in Davao City on Monday night.

Galvez, also the vaccine czar, said the country's seven-day moving average of the vaccination program has reduced "due to lack of supply."

He, however, said the declined rate is "expected to rebound” with impending deliveries of 10 million vaccines this month.

"So nagkaroon lang po ng delivery this June 6, kahapon lang po (We just had a delivery this June 6, it was just yesterday). But the good news is that the COVAX and GAVI remained focus and committed to inoculate at least 30 percent of the global populace," he said.

The Philippines is set to receive 4.2 million doses of Pfizer vaccines this month, he added.

Galvez said the supply agreement between the government and Pfizer BioNTech company is soon to be finalized for the deliveries of 40 million doses.

"Pfizer will deliver more or less 15 million doses in the third quarter and the remaining will be in the fourth quarter. That would be a huge help for us," Galvez said.

Some 100,000 doses of Russian-made Sputnik V vaccines produced by the Gamaleya Research Institute are set to arrive on June 10.

After receiving one million doses of Sinovac’s CoronVac vaccine last Sunday, the country is set to get two million more CoronaVac vaccines that will arrive on June 10 (one million) and on June 17 (one million).

"We are requesting na sa June 17 dagdagan po ng another one million or 500,000 para at least mapagamit po sa ating mga A4 at saka mga sa business sector (We are requesting for additional one million or 500,000 doses on June 17 so at least we can use the jabs for our A4 priority group and our business sector)," Galvez said.

The remaining 2.5 million doses of Sinovac vaccines will be delivered "on the fourth week or the last week of June,” he added.

The World Health Organization (WHO)-led COVAX facility will also give 2.28 million doses of Pfizer vaccines while Moderna will deliver some 250,000 doses on June 21.

The COVAX facility will also deliver 2,028,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine within the third or fourth week of this month.

Galvez said he is hoping that all 11,058,000 doses of Covid-19 jabs will be delivered as scheduled within this month.

Steady vaccine delivery is expected beginning June 21, he said, including the deliveries of 1,170,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines procured by the private sector.

The government is eyeing about 17 million doses of jabs in the stockpile in August. (PNA)

 

Comments