US vaccines to arrive in May – Romualdez

MANILA, Philippines — At least 56 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from American pharmaceutical companies are expected to arrive in Manila by May, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez confirmed yesterday.

“We secured separate deals with Novavax, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson for 30 million doses, 20 million doses and six million doses, respectively, and we see initial delivery as early as May,” Romualdez told the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) at a virtual forum.

He said the COVID-19 vaccine doses will be delivered to the country under the COVAX facility.

The COVAX facility is an initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO), along with the vaccine alliance Gavi and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which seeks to ensure equitable access to coronavirus vaccines, especially for low and middle-income countries.

“Since May 2020, we have been reaching out to pharmaceutical companies here to secure immediate access to COVID-19 vaccine supply, a pathway to sustainable supply and even co-manufacturing the vaccine with Philippine entities, and I am happy to report that these (initiatives) have been fruitful,” Romualdez said.

He added they are also working on securing a vaccine supply from Pfizer-BioNTech through COVAX.

Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine was the first to secure emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Philippine Food and Drug Administration. Its vaccine reportedly has 92 to 95 percent efficacy.

“On Pfizer, we are working on something and this could be done very soon through COVAX facility,” Romualdez said.

British firm AstraZeneca has also been granted EUA by the FDA.

Polio, measles

Meanwhile, the US government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing more than P24 million to support efforts to immunize nearly 10 million Filipino children against measles-rubella and polio.

Officials of USAID, the Department of Health (DOH) and Cavite province launched yesterday Phase 2 of the Measles-Rubella and Oral Polio Vaccine Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR OVP SIA).

The MR OPV SIA Phase 2 will be conducted from Feb. 1 to 28 and include the entire Visayas, Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Calabarzon regions, the WHO said.

The campaign will vaccinate 4.8 million children under age five against polio and immunize 5.1 million children between nine and 59 months old against measles and rubella.– Sheila Crisostomo