Philippines, Pfizer ink supply deal for 40 million COVID-19 vaccine doses
MANILA, Philippines — Government on Sunday announced that it has struck a supply deal for 40 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine which is seen to reach the country by August.
Vaccine czar Carlito Gavlez Jr. said he signed the agreement on Saturday along with Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, marking the country's biggest vaccine procurement so far this 2021.
"We are very happy to report that the government and the management of Pfizer have finally concluded our negotiations," he said in a statement.
The country's vaccine rollout began in March, with 2.09 million now fully vaccinated out of the 50 to 70 million goal this year.
Galvez said the 40 million doses will start by August, and the shipments will be delivered in bulk. The purchase is separate from the supply of Pfizer doses that the Philippines got from the COVAX Facility in May and this month.
He added that the drugmaker was able to commit doses as demand for the jabs eased in wealthy countries, which have vaccinated a significant number of their population.
The amount for the purchase was not disclosed, but the official said it will be financed by the Asian Development Bank.
Government secured an P82.5 billion funding from Congress for procuring the jabs. Apart from Pfizer, other deals were with Sinovac, Sputnik V and Moderna.
Galvez said the scheduled deliveries of Pfizer and Moderna will coincide with opening the vaccination to the general population, which include those 12 to 15 years old.
The two jabs had been cleared in the United States for emergency use on teenagers, with Pfizer also getting local regulators' approval for the same in the country.
So far, the Philippines has administered more than eight million doses of COVID-19 vaccine. The deal with Pfizer is seen to help stabilize the country's supply, and ramp up vaccinations.
The national government has so far secured two official deals for COVID-19 vaccine supplies in the Philippines, one with Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac and another with the Serum Institute of India.
Watch this space for bite-sized developments on the vaccines in the Philippines. (Main image by Markus Spiske via Unsplash)
Health Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire says the general population may now get their second booster jab.
"We're just waiting for the release of implementing guidelines, then we'll start rolling out our second booster for the general population," she says. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
Amid questions on vaccines being administered, the Department of Health assures the public all doses are safe and effective as the “process of extending shelf life goes through thorough stability studies.”
“The government ensures that every vaccine that is injected with an extended shelf life has gone through studies, and is still safe and effective against COVID-19,” it adds.
Government must increase vaccination capacity across the Philippines in anticipation of a surge of COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant of the corona virus, Sen. Risa Hontiveros says.
She says local government units and the private sector can work together to put up more vaccination centers and deploy more vaccination teams to get more people inoculated against COVID-19.
"The active COVID cases have nearly doubled in three days. The positivity rate is almost four times the ceiling set by the World Health Organization. Huwag na nating hintayin na sobrang lumala pa ang sitwasyon bago tayo gumawa ng paraan para mapabilis ang ating pagbabakuna."
FDA chief Eric Domingo says that its agency has given emergency approval for the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.
The United States immunized around 900,000 children aged five-to-11 against Covid in the first week the Pfizer vaccine was authorized for them, a White House official says Wednesday.
Roughly 700,000 more have made appointments at pharmacies, White House Covid coordinator Jeff Zients tells reporters.
"The program is just getting up to full strength," he says, adding most of the shots were given in the last couple of days alone. — AFP
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