Some 1.5M Sinovac doses to arrive before ‘end of March’ —Angara

Around 1.5 million doses of Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine are expected to arrive in the Philippines before the end of March.

This was revealed during the Senate plenary interpellations on the measure seeking to expedite the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines and establish a vaccine indemnification fund.

During the interpellations, Senator Nancy Binay asked Senator Sonny Angara, who was sponsoring the measure, on when the supply agreement for the Sinovac vaccine will be signed.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier in the day granted emergency use authorization for Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine, after Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

"In answer to Sen. Binay's question, it's around two weeks from now is the answer I'm given," Angara said, citing information from officials concerned with the vaccine procurement.

Asked further when the Sinovac vaccines will be delivered following the signing of the supply agreement, Angara said: "They can deliver in March that 1.5 million that we mentioned earlier."

"Before the end of March is the operative phrase they are using," he added.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier said the Philippines has secured 25 million doses of Sinovac vaccine, with an initial batch expected to arrive this month.

FDA director general Dr. Eric Domingo said Sinovac’s efficacy ranged from 65.3% to 91.2%, but only reached 50.4% among health workers with COVID-19 exposure.

This makes it not recommended for health workers, he added.

“This should be administered by vaccination providers and to prevent COVID-19 in clinically healthy individuals aged 18 to 59 years old,” he also said.

Domingo also said Sinovac rated well in terms of side effects which just ranged from mild to moderate categories.

Meanwhile, the 600,000 doses of Sinovac donated by the Chinese government to the Philippines are due to arrive this week, said presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. —LDF, GMA News