PH Close To Securing 60M COVID-19 Vaccines
PH CLOSE TO SECURING 60M VACCINES – The Philippines is about to secure 60 million doses of the new coronavirus vaccine candidate from leading pharmaceuticals.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Philippines has been adamant about the vaccine being the best solution to eradicate the virus. As such, President Duterte had emphasized the need for the vaccine ever since the outbreak of the virus began in the country.
Furthermore, after more than 7 months into the pandemic, several vaccine candidates have shown promise. Among the leading candidates were Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and the China-based Sinovac, which the Philippines is also in talks with.
According to an article from CNN, National Task Force Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said:
Just in case makuha natin tatlong ito, makakabuo po tayo ng 60 million next year. So ibig sabihin mayroon na po tayo na magandang mga vaccine na nakikita natin na safe, cost-effective, at saka po talaga ‘yung efficacy ay maganda po ang kanilang mga performance
Additionally, Galvez also stated that the Philippines’ COVID-19 immunization program could run for three to five years. Moreover, he stated that they expect to vaccinate 25 million Filipinos per year. Along with this, the government aimed to vaccinate at least 60 percent of the population.
Meanwhile, when it comes to the payment, ICTSI Executive Vice President Christian Gonzales said the private sector should shoulder “the cost not only of the 50% deposit for the AstraZeneca vaccine but likewise the remaining 50% once the vaccine is there“.
However, the Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration had yet to approve the sale and distribution of any COVID-19 vaccine candidates. But, the Philippines is still set to borrow P73.2 billion to source funds to procure COVID-19 vaccines.
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