MANILA, Philippines — Beijing is set to donate another million Sinovac doses to Manila, its envoy to the country announced on Thursday.
Ambassador Huang Xilian said the additional supply of the Chinese-developed jabs are expected to arrive in the Philippines next week.
"I am glad to inform that the Chinese government has decided to donated another one million doses of Sinovac vaccines," he wrote on Facebook.
Manila's first ever supply of COVID-19 vaccines was Sinovac donated by China, under close ties that President Rodrigo Duterte fostered with the country his nation is involved in a maritime dispute with.
Sinovac also makes up most of the country's supply of the jabs — 39.60 million doses at that procured by the national government, per Philstar.com's monitoring.
Before news of the fresh donation, China has sent the Philippines a million Sinovac doses, as well as another million of Sinopharm.
Xilian said he hopes the jabs "will further facilitate the ongoing vaccination rollout and promote early economic and social recovery in the Philippines."
The country is seven months into its inoculation efforts that began in March.
Latest figures showed there are now 23.76 million Filipinos fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
That turnout is out of the government's goal of up to 70 million inoculated this year. Some 27.17 million have received a first dose.
Apart from Sinovac, vaccines being or have been administered in the Philippines include AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Sputnik V, and Sinopharm.
The government's vaccine tracker said some 50.93 million doses of the jabs have since been administered to date. — Chritian Deiparine