UAE Sinopharm jab donation arrives

MANILA, Philippines — The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has donated to the Philippines some 100,000 doses of China-made Sinopharm vaccine that arrived yesterday on board an Etihad Airways flight from Dubai.

The shipment was met at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport by National Task Force Assistant Secretary Wilben Mayor, Maria Soledad Antonio of the Bureau of International Health Corp. and UAE embassy acting charge d’affairs Khalid Alhajeri.

The vaccine doses were transported to the PharmaServ Express cold storage in Marikina.

Aside from Sinopharm, another 813,150 doses of US-made Pfizer vaccine were expected to arrive last night through the COVAX Facility.

The shipment would bring the country’s vaccine stock to almost 40 million doses.

Of the 813,150 Pfizer doses, 607,230 doses will go to the Department of Health in Manila, 102,920 to Davao and another 102,920 to Cebu.

Another two million doses of Sinovac vaccine are expected to arrive today from Beijing.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday approved the emergency use authorization (EUA) of Hayat-Vax donated by the UAE.

FDA director general Eric Domingo said the EUA covers only 100,000 doses of Hayat-Vax.

“The vaccine is identical to the Sinopharm vaccine of China that is included in the emergency use listing of the World Health Organization,” Domingo said.

He said the manufacturer of Hayat-Vax is also Sinopharm “but the packaging in UAE is under the name Hayat-Vax.”

The vaccine is indicated for 18 years old and above.

Domingo said should there be another donation of Hayat-Vax, a new EUA should be secured from the FDA. – Sheila Crisostomo