889,200 Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses from COVAX arrive in Philippines

The Philippines on Saturday afternoon welcomed almost 900,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine from the COVAX facility.

According to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, a total of 889,200 doses arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 at 4:15 p.m. via flight EK332.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. and United States Agency for International Development Health Director Michelle Lang-Alli welcomed the arrival of the vaccines.

Galvez said some of the vaccines will be used for the pilot implementation of the vaccination of children aged 12 to 17 years old.

“We will still focus on inoculating our priority groups A2 and A3, but partly itong ibang dumarating na ito we will be given also to our possible children inoculation this coming October 15,” Galvez said.

The vaccine czar said the government will allocate around 60 million doses for the vaccination of minors.

“Meron tayong ia-allocate na, more or less, good for 17.7 people. Our population of adolescents and children is more or less 29 million. So we will be allocating more or less 60 million doses,” he said.

He also expressed gratitude to the United States Embassy for the Pfizer vaccines.

Meanwhile, Alli said the US was happy that it was able to help the country in its battle against COVID-19.

“Yes, this is part of the 5.5 million doses of vaccine that arrived this weekend here in Manila, but also down in Davao and Cebu,” she said.

“The United States is very happy to be able to provide safe and effective vaccines not just to Manila but to the greater Philippines and the Central and Southern part of the Philippines as well,” she added.

The United States earlier announced it was sending more than eight million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Bangladesh and the Philippines in the latest wave of aid to a world still struggling to tame the pandemic.  — DVM, GMA News