Over 1M Japan-donated AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to arrive Thursday night

Over one million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca that are donated by Japan are set to arrive on Thursday night, July 8, 2021, according to Malacañang.

At a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said this is one of the two batches of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine shipment due to be delivered this week.

“We are expecting two batches of AstraZeneca this week. The first one was that donated by the Japanese government which will arrive tonight,” Roque said.

The Japanese government has donated 1,124,100 doses to the Philippines.

The second shipment, a donation through the World Health Organization (WHO)-led COVAX facility, contains 2,028,000 doses.

Donated vaccines under COVAX can only be used on health workers, senior citizens or those aged 60 and above, persons with comorbidities, and indigent/poor population.

Roque said 170,000 doses of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V are also due to arrive this week.

3-million mark

Meanwhile, the Palace said the number of fully vaccinated persons in the Philippines has surpassed the three million mark.

"Mahigit tatlong milyon or 3,089,876 ang fully vaccinated [A total of 3,089,876 have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19]," Roque said in the same briefing.

The Philippine government is eyeing to vaccinate around 58 million to achieve population protection by the end of the year.

Vaccine czar secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier in the day expressed confidence the government can administer 70 million first doses of COVID-19 vaccine by November.

Based on the target set by the WHO, all countries should vaccinate 10% of its population by September 2021, 40% by the end of 2021, and 70% by June 2022 regardless its economic status. —KBK, GMA News