1 million more Sinovac vaccine doses arrive

Another one million doses of Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine arrived in the Philippines on Thursday, flown in from China by Cebu Pacific. 

In a statement, the budget carrier said that the vaccines were airlifted via flight 5J 671, and arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 7:35 a.m.

This is the fifth shipment picked up by the Gokongwei-led airline from China, in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH).

"With the arrival of these life-saving vaccines, we will continue our aggressive vaccine program to protect more Filipinos from Covid-19,” vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr., chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, said.

“We appreciate the support of Cebu Pacific and other Philippine carriers to expedite vaccine distribution throughout the country,” Galvez said.

Upon arrival, Cebu Pacific said the vaccines were inspected by authorities, and were immediately transferred to refrigerated container vans and facilities.

"We are glad to keep supporting our government in the rollout of its vaccination program," said Alex Reyes, Cebu Pacific chief strategy officer.

"We are keen to continue playing our part in this national endeavor through the safe transport of COVID-19 vaccines across our network of international and domestic destinations,” Reyes added.

The airline said the transported vaccines were subjected to strict handling guidelines which entail storing them in temperature-specific refrigerated containers to maintain potency and efficacy up until arrival at their designated stations. — Ted Cordero/BM, GMA News