Galvez: 1.4M Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine doses arriving this March

The Philippines will receive 1.4 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech within the month, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said Tuesday.

Galvez said these doses include the additional 400,000 donated by the Chinese government and the 1 million procured by the Philippine government. 

“Ang exact timeline is ‘yung 400,000 po baka dumating this coming March. ‘Yun po ang tentative date natin,” he said in a briefing, adding that the earliest possible delivery date is March 24.

(The exact timeline is the 400,000 may arrive this March. That is the tentative date.)

“‘Yung 1 million na procurement natin, ng Department of Health, ay dadating sa [March] 28,” he added.

(The 1 million procured by the Department of Health will arrive on March 28.)

The Philippines received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines at the end of February. 

The country’s COVID-19 vaccination program began with the rollout of the 600,000 Sinovac doses donated by the Chinese government on March 1. 

A total of 199,704 doses have been administered as of March 14. — RSJ, GMA News