Duque Says PH Pushes For More Sinovac, Sputnik V After COVAX Encounters Woes
DUQUE PUSHES FOR MORE SINOVAC – On Friday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the Philippines is doing its best to get more vaccines from Russia and China.
This announcement came after COVAX, the global initiative aiming to supply vaccines to countries around the world, said they were having supply woes. According to an article from GMA, COVAX said they are facing a “serious challenge” in supplying vaccines.
As such, Duque believes that this may pose a potential threat to the country’s already scarce vaccine supply. In light of this, Duque said the Philippines is “doing its best effort to get more Sinovac”.
Furthermore, the health secretary said they are working asap on approving the use of Sinovac for the elderly. Currently, the Chinese vaccine is only recommended for those aged 18 to 59.
Additionally, Duque noted that vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. was “negotiating with Gamaleya for 500,000 doses of the Russian vaccine, Sputnik V, instead of 100,000. Meanwhile, Galvez early stated that the Philippines may receive “all other vaccine brands by July”.
So far, the Philippines has received 2.5 million doses of Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines. Along with this, more than 738,913 individuals already had their first dose of the vaccines with 1,344 completing their shots.
As of writing, the country has recorded 756,199 COVID-19 cases. Of that number. 138,948 are still tagged as active cases. However, researchers from OCTA fear that if the new enhanced community quarantine fails, cases may continue to surge this April due to the presence of more contagious variants.
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