Philippines to get up to one million COVID-19 vaccine doses from US donation by July - envoy
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said on Tuesday the Philippines is expected to receive 800,000 to one million doses of COVID-19 vaccines as part of the 80 million excess doses that US President Joe Biden earlier announced to be donated to other countries.
"Of the 80 million, we're going to get something like close to 800(000) to one million doses, either Moderna or AstraZeneca, from their stockpile which is expected to be given to us by next month," he said in a televised press briefing.
He said the Philippines will also receive certain doses from the 500 million doses that the US will be donating to the world.
"So, we're getting quite a substantial amount of doses or vaccines coming from the United States aside from what we've already negotiated," Romualdez said.
Meanwhile, the ambassador said the first batch of the 20 million Moderna COVID-19 vaccine doses being purchased by the government is expected to be delivered in the country on June 27.
"Next month or July, that will probably be close to a million then succeedingly down the road, up to around November, we will be getting the entire 20 million from Moderna," he said.
Romualdez said the Philippines has also reserved 50 million booster shots being developed by Moderna to be delivered next year.
He said Moderna, which has similar technology with that of Pfizer, is still effective against COVID-19 Delta variant.
"As we all know, the variant from India, the Delta variant, it is still very effective coming from the UK clinical ...or the test that they got there that the Pfizer, specifically, is very effective still with the Delta variant; they are 88 percent effective. And we expect the same thing for Moderna because they have the same technology," he said. Celerina Monte/DMS
