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Roque: No arrival date yet for first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines


There is no arrival date yet for the first batch of 117,000 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX facility, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Wednesday.

“Wala pa po tayo naririnig na balita,” Roque said in a PTV 4 interview.

“Dahil ‘yan po ay ipapadala sa pamamagitan ng eroplano. Ang inaasahan natin ay magbibigay notisiya ang Pfizer sa atin kung naisakay na yang shipment na yan sa eroplano galing sa Brussels [Belgium] papunta ng Pilipinas,” he added.

It was earlier reported that the Pfizer vaccines would arrive on February 15

Last week, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the expected arrival of the first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines in the middle of February was delayed due to the absence of an indemnification fund—funded by the Philippine government—for those who will experience adverse effects after taking a COVID-19 vaccine.

A total of 600,000 doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine donated by the Chinese government, however, are set to arrive on February 23.

Sinovac’s application for emergency use authorization (EUA), however, has yet to be approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The Philippine FDA has only granted EUA to two COVID-19 vaccine makers so far: Pfizer BioNTech and AstraZeneca after being found to be 70% to as much as 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection.

Roque earlier claimed that the Philippines will secure more than 160 million COVID-19 vaccine dosage from the following within the year:

  • 44 million doses from COVAX facility arriving in February
  • 25 million doses from Sinovac arriving in February
  • 10 to 15 million doses of Gamaleya arriving in April
  • 30 million doses of Novavax arriving in May
  • 17 million doses of AstraZeneca arriving in May
  • 20 million doses of Moderna arriving in July
  • 15 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech arriving in August and
  • five million from Johnson and Johnson arriving in October.

— RSJ, GMA News

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