PH TO GET AT LEAST 2M DOSES MONTHLY FROM COVAX

By Lade Jean Kabagani

The Philippines is finally seeing a steady supply of Covid-19 vaccines from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Gavi Alliance-led COVAX facility.

Two million doses are expected every month, National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Monday night during a briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte.

Apart from deliveries from the COVAX facility, the government also awaits deliveries from pharmaceutical firms AstraZeneca, Moderna, Sinovac, and Gamaleya Research Institute beginning July.

Galvez added the United States vowed to include the Philippines among the top beneficiaries of its 80 million doses of excess coronavirus vaccines to be donated to COVAX.

He also reported the country has reached the five-million mark in the vaccine rollout.

A million individuals were inoculated weekly for the past two weeks. “Noong March to April, one million lang po tayo ng 40 days. Ngayon po, na-triple po natin. Hindi pa umaabot ang end ng May ay tatlong milyon na po ang ating nabakunahan (Between March and April, we only had one million within 40 days. Now, it has been tripled. We have already vaccinated three million before end of May),” the vaccine czar said.

As of May 30, a total of 5,180,721 doses have been vaccinated, of which 3,974,350 received first doses and 1,206,371 already with full protection. (PNA)