Pasig orders 400,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

The Pasig City local government has ordered 400,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines worth around P100 million, Mayor Vico Sotto said on Monday.

"Many of us LGUs signed a tripartite agreement with AstraZeneca and the national govt yesterday. Pasig ordered 400K doses (*100M pesos). Actual quantity & date of delivery will depend on several factors," he said in a tweet.

Sotto said the LGU will also buy vaccines from other vaccine makers as opportunities arise.

"We'll buy from others too as opportunities arise," he said.

Sotto enumerated what he said were the advantages of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine: it's cheaper, easier to transport and store, has acceptable efficacy, and is approved in other countries.

Advantages of AstraZeneca vaccine
?Relatively cheaper at $5/dose
?Easier to transport and store (normal refrigeration)

??Slightly lower efficacy than others, but still very acceptable at ~70%; possibly 90% w adjusted dose (link above).

Approved in other countries like the UK.

— Vico Sotto (@VicoSotto) January 10, 2021

Over the weekend, some LGUs announced they have signed deals to buy AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines: Iloilo City for 600,000 doses; Caloocan City for 600,000 doses; Vigan City for 100,000 doses; and Valenzuela City for 640,000 doses. —KG, GMA News