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Philippines to receive up to 10M COVID-19 vaccine doses in Q1, says British envoy
The Philippines will receive nearly 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, mostly of the AstraZeneca brand, in the first quarter, British Ambassador Daniel Pruce announced on Friday.
Pruce said the Philippines was among the countries which the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) identified as the first recipients of vaccines from the COVAX facility.
"Meaning, it could receive an indicative distribution of up to nearly 10 million doses of vaccines; mostly of the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine developed in the United Kingdom," Pruce said.
"The facility expects doses will be available for delivery starting in the first quarter of 2021, perhaps as early as February, that pending the Emergency Use Listing from the WHO," he added.
The COVAX facility is a global initiative that seeks equal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines for countries across the globe.
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According to the Department of Health, the COVAX facility will provide COVID-19 vaccines to 20 percent of the country’s population but only those for 15 percent will be free. Vaccines for the remaining five percent will be paid by the government.
Galvez, however, assured the public that the decrease in the allocation of free vaccines from the COVAX facility would not be a problem, saying the government could still secure additional doses at a reasonable price.
Pruce said the United Kingdom had funded 548 million pounds into the COVAX facility that will help distribute COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries throughout 2021.
"And we remain one of Gavi's largest donors. This is part of commitment to supporting countries around the world to get equitable access to COVID vaccines as part of their response to the coronavirus pandemic," Pruce said. -NB, GMA News