8M doses of COVID-19 vaccine from India to be delivered end of May —Philippine envoy

Some eight million doses of Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered to the Philippines by the end of May, Philippine Ambassador to India Ramon Bagatsing Jr. said Tuesday.

During the Laging Handa press briefing, Bagatsing said that these eight million doses were ordered by the Philippine local government units and the private sector.

“The eight million, committed na ‘yan. It costs $15 to $20 per dose. Pero napakamura nila nakuha ito, cheaper than affordable. This will be delivered by the end of next month,” Bagatsing said.

The Philippine Food and Drug Administration already issued emergency use authorization on Bharat BioTech's COVID-19 vaccine.

Based on FDA evaluation, the efficacy rate of Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine, named Covaxin, ranges from 92% to 95%.

Bagatsing then said that the 30 million doses of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India will be delivered later this year.

The 30 million doses of Novavax vaccine are ordered by the Philippine government.

“This will be delivered in September. It is called Covavax,” he said

“We can still order some more [from them] if there is a need.” —KBK, GMA News