Israeli experts arrive in Manila to advise on COVID-19 vaccination efforts

A team of Israeli medical experts that will advise the Philippines in its efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Manila on Sunday.

According to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, the experts—Avraham Ben Zaken, Adam Nicholas Segal, and Dafna Segol—arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at 4:15 p.m.

NTF Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said the experts will be in the country from June 20 to June 25 to share their experiences on vaccine deployment.

"Their arrival in the Philippines will help us fine-tune our vaccination roll-out. We want to learn from the best practices being implemented in Israel and hopefully, replicate and use them in crafting our country’s policies," he said.

Among the topics up for discussion are the handling of vaccines and improving the uptake, and sharing of lessons learned by Israel and applying them in the Philippines.

The Philippines on Sunday, June 20, reported 5,803 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 1,359,015. This includes 57,679 active cases; 1,277,715 recoveries; and 23,621 deaths. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA News