MANILA – The COVAX facility led by the World Health Organization and Gavi Alliance could be donating Chinese-made coronavirus vaccines to the Philippines, National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said Monday night.
"Mayroon po kaming na-hearing-an din na ‘yung COVAX baka po mag-donate ng Chinese vaccines (We heard that the COVAX facility might donate Chinese vaccines), either Sinopharm or Sinovac," he said during the weekly Talk to the People of President Rodrigo Duterte held in Davao City.
The Philippines, he said, is willing to accept whatever Chinese jabs will be available.
The donation may arrive next month, he added.
Both Sinovac and Sinopharm are already included in the WHO's list for emergency use.
The COVAX facility is also facilitating the vaccine donations of the United States of America and the Japanese government to the Philippines.
"We would like to thank US and Japan and the COVAX donation sharing. We already accounted for 6,365,300 doses which are 61 percent of the total supply we have already received for July," Galvez said.
Last week, Japan delivered their donation of 3 million doses of AstraZeneca jabs, followed by the arrival of 606,600 doses and another 1,634,250 doses of US-donated Johnson and Johnson vaccine, bringing the total vaccines in the country to 27,922,360.
The Philippines has received the very first batch of Covid-19 vaccines donations developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac on Feb. 18, which paved the way for the start of the Covid-19 vaccination program in March. China has donated a total of 1 million Sinovac vaccines to the Philippines.
Galvez earlier said all COVAX-donated vaccines and the Janssen jabs will be strictly administered to priority groups A2 (senior citizens) and A3 (adults with comorbidities) only.
While the vaccines procured by the government and private sector, including the Japan-donated vaccines, will be for A2, A3, and A5 (indigents) groups. (PNA)
