Sinovac vaccine arrives, AstraZeneca’s delayed
THE shipment of the China-donated CORONAVAC ARRIVED ON SUNDAY, THE fiRST vaccine for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) to reach the Philippines.
A second shipment, from AstraZeneca, due today, March 1, will be delayed because of a “global supply problem.”
The 600,000 doses of CoronaVac arrived on a Chinese military transport plane at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City. They were immediately transferred to the Department
of Health’s (DoH) warehouse in Marikina City.
During a ceremony welcoming the shipment, President Rodrigo Duterte thanked China President Xi Jinping for the donation. Duterte said he plans to visit Beijing soon to personally express his gratitude to Xi.
In a television interview later Sunday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd announced that the delivery of the more than 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine would be delayed.
He said the World Health Organization, which facilitated the donation of 525,600 AstraZeneca doses through the Covax facility, cited supply problem as the reason for the delay.
Duque and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. will be among the first Cabinet officials to be inoculated with the CoronaVac on Monday.
Sen. Christopher Lawrence Go said in a radio interview on Sunday Duque and Galvez would get their shots to dispel public distrust of China-made vaccines.
He bared that Duque would be inoculated at the Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City, but he was not sure where Galvez would have his shot.
“Mauuna po silang magpabakuna para ipakita po sa publiko na magtiwala po tayo sa ating gobyerno (They will get inoculated first to show the public that they should trust the government),” he said.
Other Cabinet secretaries have volunteered for vaccination, Go said, but he did not name them.
The chief of the Philippine General Hospital, Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, will also get a CoronaVac shot.
The President would be vaccinated with the brand that would be determined by his doctor, Go said.
He added that it would be a choice between CoronaVac and the vaccines developed by Sinopharm, AstraZeneca or Moderna.
Malacañang earlier said the President preferred the Sinopharm vaccine, which has yet to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Go said he and Duterte would get vaccinated together.
Also attending the rollout ceremony for the CoronaVac at the PGH are Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr., FDA Director-General Eric Domingo, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos and Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso.
There will be similar programs at the Lung Center, Veterans Memorial Medical Center, Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Medical Hospital, Philippine National Police (PNP) General Hospital and V. Luna General Hospital.
Among those attending the Lung Center rollout is MMDA General Manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr.
Quezon City Mayor Josefina Belmonte will be at the Lung Center, Veterans Memorial Medical Center, PNP General Hospital and V. Luna Medical Center, all in Quezon City.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana will be at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, PNP chief Debold Sinas at the PNP General Hospital and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Cirilito Sobejana at the V. Luna Medical Center.
At Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Medical Hospital will be Dizon and Caloocan Mayor Oscar Malapitan
The inoculation of Duque and Galvez comes as medical personnel in major Covid-referral hospitals expressed reluctance to be jabbed with CoronaVac.
Half of the CoronaVac doses will be for medical frontliners and military personnel.