THE vaccination against the deadly virus from Wuhan, China will take five long years to be completed, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez admits.
Citing government plan of vaccinating at least 70 million Filipinos,Galvez said that the government would only be able to administer COVID-19 vaccines to 20 million Filipinos yearly within five years.
“We will do this in a three to five years’ period kasi po kaya lang natin mapa-vaccinate is more or less 20 to 30 million a year,” Galvez said.
“At the same time, titingnan po natin talaga rin na kung alin po ang safe at effective na vaccine,” he added.
In his “conservative estimate,” the government would be able to commence mass vaccination by the second quarter of 2021 or by the middle of 2021.
“Though, meron tayong clinical trial this coming December. Inaasahan po natin ‘yung mga result kasi ng regulatory board natin sa Food and Drug Administration baka matapos po ‘yun first quarter,’” he added.
He however said that if worse comes to worst, the latest time table for the government to start the mass vaccination is by the end of 2021 or early 2022.
The government is eyeing to secure COVID vaccine supply deals from manufacturers in China, United Kingdom and the United States within the month.
Citing confidentiality disclosure agreements, Galvez said that they are not at liberty to disclose as to how much the government are buying the vaccines, but assured the public that the Philippine government would be getting an initial of 30 to 50 million vaccine supplies.
However, Philippine Foundation for Vaccination (PFV) director Dr. Lulu Bravo, said that the number of vaccines that the government would initially procure would only be able to serve 15-25 million Filipinos, since these vaccines requires two doses.
“Kung two doses ‘yun, tapos ang mabibigyan mo lang is 25 million, one-fourth ng ating population, hindi pa ‘yun herd immunity, kasi sabi mo nga 60 to 70 percent,” she added.
WHO experts said the vaccination of 65% to 70% of a population can reach herd immunity which the implies on a concept used for vaccination in which a population can be protected from a certain virus if a threshold of vaccination is reached.