Philippines receives over 1M AstraZeneca doses from Japan
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines on Thursday received a shipment of over one million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines provided by Japan.
The flight carrying 1,124,100 jabs arrived at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay past 9 p.m. The shipment was welcomed by President Rodrigo Duterte and other government officials.
In a speech, Duterte said the donated doses “will surely go a long way in our quest for herd immunity.”
The vaccines come at a time when the delivery of jabs made by Sinovac Biotech—which account for the bulk of the country’s vaccine supply—faces delay. As a result, local governments were instructed to focus on completely inoculating those who have received first dose until supplies become stable.
“Japan continues to be our strong partner in various development programs. Our cooperation in fighting the pandemic is truly an indication of the deep friendship between our two countries,” Duterte said.
Masahiro Nakata, economic minister of the Embassy of Japan, said the initiative to provide COVID-19 vaccines is “a clear testament to the deep-rooted bonds of friendship between our two nations.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Tokyo has provided emergency support loan, medical equipment and establishment of laboratory surveillance sites, and cold chain facility system.
The country will also receive 2,028,000 AstraZeneca doses—another donation from the vaccine sharing COVAX Facility—this week.
Since March, only 3.08 million individuals have completed their vaccination, while over 9.3 million have received their first of two shots.
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