Philippines gets additional 288K doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from UK

The Philippines on Friday received additional 288,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United Kingdom (UK) through the COVAX facility.

The second batch of COVID-19 vaccine doses arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 past 4 p.m.

"We are very thankful to [UK] Ambassador [Laure Beaufils] for the facilitation and we are very thankful to all our bilateral partners and all the donors in the COVAX," vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said.

"It is very timely because we will have our national vaccination day for three days and we are needing more volumes." 

Galvez said that local government units in Regions III and IV-A needed more vaccines for the nationwide vaccination drive.

"We have committed that we would be supplying up to a 100 million doses by 2022 [to our partners], and today, this is demonstrating that we're living up to this commitment," Beaufils said.

According to Galvez, the Philippines has already received 5.6 million AstraZeneca doses from the British government.

The first batch of more than three million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the UK arrived on Thursday. Another batch consisting of 1,746,160 doses is expected to be delivered on Saturday.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday declared November 29, 30, and December 1 as Bayanihan, Bakunahan National COVID-19 Vaccination Days.

Malacañang said Friday the government is now ready for the simultaneous COVID-19 vaccination activities.

More than 34 million Filipinos are now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to the government. — VBL, GMA News