A WEEK after the Department of Health has distributed the British-made vaccine brand, it was only today that President Rodrigo Duterte approved the use of all 525,600 vials of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine as first doses for health workers.
In a statement, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that the DOH may now use up what is remaining of the AstraZeneva COVID-19 vaccines to protect more medical frontliners in areas with high coronavirus transmission.
“The president has approved the use of all 525,000 AstraZeneca vaccines donated through COVAX facility as the first dose for frontline workers,” said Roque in a televised press briefing.
The President earlier showed resistance on recommendations to tap AstraZeneca stockpile, expressing concerns as the date of the next shipment of the AstraZeneca jabs.
Health Secretary Duque however insisted, citing the need for the government to use them all up even before the stockpile expires three months after its manufacture date.
Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez backed Duque’s recommendation even as he claimed that the World Health Organization (WHO) had asked him to speed up the rollout of available vaccines in the country so it could deliver the next jabs.
He also claims to have been assured that the next AstraZeneca shipment — 979,200 vials, would be delivered on March 22 or by the first week of April.
To date, the government has only been able to vaccinate 240,297 local health workers using the donated vaccines.