DOH regional offices received initial supply of COVID-19 vaccines —exec

All of the Department of Health regional offices across the country have already received their initial supply of COVID-19 vaccines, Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said Sunday.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, Vega said regional health offices are tasked to distribute the supply to different local public and private hospitals in their area.

“Lahat ng regions ng Department of Health, nakatanggap na lalo na 'yung Sinovac. Naipamahagi na rin ito sa lahat ng mga LGU, public at private (hospitals) across all regions,” he added.

According to Vega, the number of hospitals requesting for vaccine supply has been increasing gradually, adding that demand for vaccines is no longer a problem but the supply.

On February 28, around 600,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from Sinovac donated by the Chinese government arrived in the country.

The Philippines started its inoculation rollout on March 1.

On March 4, a total of 487,200 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca also arrived in the Philippines under the COVAX facility.

At least 38,400 doses more from AstraZeneca are expected to arrive on Sunday, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Saturday.

The initial rollout of COVID-19 vaccination in the country, which stated on March 1, only covers healthcare workers who are the top priority in the national inoculation program. —LBG, GMA News