Pfizer vaccine delivery also delayed – Galvez
THE shipment of the Pfizer vaccine earmarked by the Covax Facility to the Philippines will not be arriving until the second quarter of this year.
Vaccine czar and National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. announced the delay during the ceremonial launch of the country’s vaccination program on Monday.
The 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine was supposed to have been delivered last month, he said.
About 500,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine were supposed to be shipped on Monday, but the delivery did not push through because of global supply issues, according to Galvez.
Negotiations over an indemnification agreement for the Pfizer vaccine delayed the delivery, he said, prompting the government to hastily pass a law that would speed up vaccine procurement and create an indemnity fund for individuals who might experience side effects from vaccination.
Galvez said aside from disagreements over indemnification, Pfizer also wanted total immunity from legal action.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said President Rodrigo Duterte could not give vaccine manufacturers anything more than the indemnity law.
“Sa panig naman po ng Presidente, malinaw po ang posisyon ng ating Presidente ‘no. Iyong ating batas po na pinasa ng Kongreso, iyan po ay nagbibigay na ng lahat ng hinihingi ng ating mga vaccine manufacturers (The President’s stance is clear. The law passed by Congress will address the demands of vaccine manufacturers),” he said
“We’re very proud of that law but we cannot give anymore because binigyan na nga po natin ng lahat ng gusto ng mga pharmaceuticals (we gave pharmaceuticals everything they wanted),” he added.
The spokesman maintained that the government can secure more than enough vaccine doses to inoculate 70 million Filipinos this year.
“Inaasahan pa rin po sana natin na dumating ang Pfizer pero kung talagang hindi po sapat ang batas natin, we have done the best that we could at si Secretary Galvez po, sinisigurado naman that we will have enough vaccines for all Filipinos na pinangako po ng ating Presidente (We are still expecting the arrival of Pfizer’s vaccine, but if the law we crafted is not enough, we have done the best that we could and we have the assurance of Secretary Galvez that we will have enough vaccines for all Filipinos as promised by the President),” he said.