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At $5 per dose, AstraZeneca offered cheapest potential COVID-19 vaccine —Galvez


British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca has offered the cheapest potential vaccine against COVID-19, according to National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. on Monday.

At a virtual forum, Galvez, the coutry's "vaccine czar," said AstraZeneca is one of the 17 pharmaceutical firms whose potential vaccine against COVID-19 are under review by a Philippines panel under the Department of Science and Technology. The others are from China, United States, Russia, Germany, Japan, India, and Israel.

“Sa company profile nila, sinabi roon na they are for giving [vaccine] access to poor countries, not for profit. Sila iyong pinakamura na offer na $5 per dose,” Galvez said.

“Based po sa initial findings ng panel of experts, maganda ang evaluation ng AstraZeneca at reputable pharmaceutical firm sila, kasama sila sa nag-express ng gusto nila ng engagement sa atin,” he added.

Galvez then said that the government expects to get three million to as much as 10 million doses of vaccines against COVID-19 from AstraZeneca, with another 20% of the country’s COVID-19 vaccine needs sourced from COVAX vaccine facility, a global collaboration of manufacturers and experts which seeks to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.

Vaccines under the COVAX effort are estimated to cost at least $21 for two doses to be given with a 28-day interval.

Earlier, Galvez said that vaccine distribution in the Philippines — by the second quarter of 2021 in a best-case scenario — will be administered on priority sectors, meaning healthcare and essential workers, poor communities, as well as priority areas or places where most COVID-19 cases were recorded.

“Itong sa zoning, ito ay iyong sa Metro Manila, Region 4A, Region 3, Cebu, Davao City, Cagayan de Oro, kasi dito rin natin ilalagay iyong mga hub or cold storage for the vaccines,” Galvez said.

So far, only Chinese vaccine Sinovac has been cleared by the DOST's vaccine experts panel. Sinovac, however, still needs approval from the Ethics Board and the Food and Drug Administration before it can be cleared for clinical trial or entry to the market if the vaccine is already done with its clinical trial phase.

The Philippines has recorded 396,395 COVID-19 cases as of Sunday, November 8. Of this number, 361,638 recovered while 7,539 died.

The number of active COVID-19 cases is at 27,218.  —KBK, GMA News

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