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Vaccine inequity to worsen in Philippines due to shipment delay -think tank


The Philippines' already delayed vaccination program could be left even further behind as India has pushed back shipments of COVID-19 vaccines to prioritize its own needs, global think tank Moody's Analytics said in a report.

According to Moody's Analytics' Asia-Pacific Daily Economic View Dated April 5, several Asian countries such as the Philippines will have to seek alternative sources for the vaccines given the delays in India's shipments of AstraZeneca vaccines.

India is one of the world's largest producers of COVID-19 vaccines, supplying millions of AstraZeneca doses to the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) scheme for middle- and low-income countries.

"South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam are among countries to be hit by shipment delays to vaccines they have been promised under the COVAX program. The shortage could leave these countries further behind in inoculations, increasing the vaccine inequity, and undermine international efforts to counter the pandemic," Moody's Associate Economist Eric Chiang said.

COVAX is co-led by the Gavi Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World Health Organization (WHO). It aims to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world.

WHO Representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe last month said he was optimistic that 20% of Filipinos will be vaccinated against COVID-19 under the COVAX facility this year.

The Philippines has so far received 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX facility, the only vaccine in the country that can be inoculated to senior citizens.

Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr., however, last week said there would be a "slight delay" in the delivery due to logistical problems.

The COVAX Facility earlier informed participating countries that deliveries of doses from the Serum Institute of India (SII) would be delayed due to India's increased demand for vaccines.

The Philippines is the last country in the ASEAN region to start its vaccination program against COVID-19 after legal vaccines were injected into the public on March 1.

Vaccines were inoculated to members of the military last year, specifically to the Presidential Security Group, as confirmed by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte. The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has maintained that such shipments were absent of the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) and were therefore smuggled.

Outside the Philippines, Thailand is set to receive an additional 10 million doses of AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines as it ramps up efforts to restart tourism.

Its resort island Phuket has jumped to the head of the vaccination line, aiming to deliver shots to most of the population as it gears up to reopen quarantine-free travel in July.

"The reopening of Phuket will be used as a test to gauge international tourism demand as well as Thailand's readiness to reopen other tourism-reliant destinations for overseas travelers later this year," said Chiang. -MDM, GMA News

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