THE Philippine government is donning a new strategy to meet its targeted herd immunity against the deadly virus from Wuhan, China – a steady vaccine supply.
In an interview via social media live-streaming, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said that the Philippine government and Johnson and Johnson are likely to sign this week a deal embarking on a COVID-19 vaccine supply agreement even as the country expects to get its Janssen’s coronavirus vaccines through global alliance COVAX Facility.
“Inaayos na po natin ang supply agreement…Most likely this coming week baka mapirmahan po natin. Ang maganda po, meron na po siyang emergency use listing sa World Health Organization so pwede na po siyang kasama sa COVAX,” Galvez said in a live-stream interview.
The Philippines, which has so far received more than 500,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from COVAX Facility and 600,000 CoronaVac jabs, is targeting to vaccinate 50 to 70 million this year to achieve herd immunity for a “better Christmas,” said Galvez, adding that the government is looking at vaccinating one million citizens per week in April, 2 million citizens per week in May, and 3 to 5 million per week beginning June.
Interestingly, the government has only managed to inoculate 269,583 healthcare workers in 4,500 vaccination sites nationwide, using donated vaccines.
“Ang aming declaration is we’ll have a better Christmas this coming year. ‘Yun ang target namin na we will have a better Christmas. We will inoculate 70 million. Nakita namin, kaya po natin ito pag nagkaroon tayo ng steady supply,” he said.
“Ang US, UK and even ‘yung Israel, also India, ang pinaka- secret nila is steady supply. Ganun ang gagawin natin na magkaroon tayo ng steady supply na accelerating by month.”
To date, the government is largely dependent on donated jabs coming through the global alliance COVAX Facility, which delivered 600,000 doses of China-made CoronaVac vaccines and a little more than 500,000 jabs of the AstraZeneca branded injectable vials.
Galvez also hinted at an early shipment of 200,00 to 500,000 COVID-19 vaccines from Novavax by the second quarter when the US Food and Drug Administration granted it emergency approval, followed by local regulators.
The Philippines will also order 5 to 10 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V when its FDA approves emergency use, Galvez said.
“Initially magkakaroon kami ng 2 million this coming April,” he said.
The country has so far only approved for emergency use COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Sinovac.
As of this posting, the Department of Health reported 4,387 new COVID-19 cases, raising the country’s total number of infections to 635,698.