JUST when medical frontliners thought they’ve got no other option comes an announcement of a top Malacañang official who hinted at another vaccine delivery on Monday.
In a statement, vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez said that AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX Facility will be delivered a day after the much anticipated arrival of some 600,000 doses of the CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccines from Sinovac Biopharmaceutical, Ltd. of China.
Malacañang earlier claimed Sinovac vaccines are set to arrive on Philippine soil on Sunday.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that the President and other top government officials will be physically present to welcome and receive the China-made vaccines, “as a gesture of gratefulness.”
As for AstraZeneca, Galvez said they are expecting 525,600 doses of the European -developed vaccines on March 1.
Between Sinovac and AstraZeneca, most local government units have preferred the latter over those coming from China, in consideration of the wide disparity in its efficacy.
AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines are scientifically found to be 90 percent efficacious.