The country received more than 3.3 million doses of Pfizer and Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccines on Friday, October 1, as the World Health Organization (WHO) urged the government to continue prioritizing the vaccination of the elderly and persons with co-morbidities.
The other shipment carries 2.5 million doses of government-procured Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine. (Photo NTF Against COVID-19)
Flight EK332 of Emirates Airline brought 883,350 doses of United States-made Pfizer to Terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) around 4:15 p.m. These were donated to the country via the global vaccine sharing initiative, COVAX facility.
“We would like to thank our partners, our allied nations for the donations that you have given to us. We would also like to thank the American people for your generosity. Thank you for helping us in this time of need,” said vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. in an interview at the airport.
Meanwhile, 2.5 million doses of government-procured Sinovac vaccine landed on NAIA Terminal 2 around 5:55 p.m. via Philippine Air Lines (PAL) flight PR 359. The vaccines were procured by the government from China.
The deliveries were crucial to ensure a steady supply of vaccines ahead of the planned pilot implementation of the inoculation of adolescents aged 12 to 17 on October 15 in Metro Manila. This were approved with top officials considering the enforement of face-to-face classes.
However, Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO representative to the Philippines, called on the government to use the donated Pfizer jabs for the vaccination of the elderly people and individuals with co-morbidities. The said sectors are the second and third in the government’s COVID-19 vaccination priority list.
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