Philippines eyes 4 sources of COVID-19 vaccines —Palace

Published December 01, 2020 06:04 PM By VIRGIL LOPEZ, GMA News

Malacañang on Tuesday said the Philippines plans to procure COVID-19 vaccines developed by the United States, China, Russia, and the United Kingdom.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque named the vaccine candidates from Pfizer (US), Sinovac (China), Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology (Russia), and AstraZeneca (United Kingdom), citing a report from Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the government’s vaccine czar.

Last Friday, the Philippine government, the private sector, and AstraZeneca signed a tripartite agreement

for the country to secure a supply of 2.6 million doses of the pharmaceutical firm’s potential COVID-19 vaccine.

This supply, to be paid for by the private sector, will inoculate over one million Filipinos as the British drugmaker's vaccine requires two doses.

AstraZeneca-Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine has been found 70% effective against COVID-19 at first dose, but it increases to 90% after the second dose was administered a month after the first dose.

The Department of Health earlier said the vaccine will not be given to Filipinos without regulatory approval.

The government aims to use P73.2 billion worth of loans to purchase COVID-19 vaccines for 60 million Filipinos.

Pfizer earlier said final results from the late-stage trial of its COVID-19 vaccine show it was 95% effective. Sinovac's vaccine is being used in China on an emergency basis. Russia, meanwhile, said Sputnik V is 92% effective.—AOL, GMA News

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