1.4M vaccines from China to arrive in March

MORE than 1 million coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines from China would be shipped this month, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Sunday.

He added that the 1 million doses from Sinovac would arrive on March 21.

The 400,000 doses to be donated by

China will also be shipped this month.

“Meron po tayong na-procure na 1 million na darating po sa (We were able to procure 1 million vaccines and it will arrive on) March 21, and with the generosity of the Chinese government, another 400,000 will be given to us, so 1.4 million ang darating (will arrive),” Galvez said.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier disclosed that China would donate an additional 400,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines. He did not disclose the brand, but according to Galvez, this would likely be Sinovac.

This week, the Philippine government also received 487,200 AstraZeneca vaccines from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Covax facility.

Galvez said the WHO promised to deliver 4.5 million AstraZeneca vaccines.

The country will receive 1.5 million doses every month until May.

Galvez said the Sinovac vaccines had been deployed nationwide.

“Sa ngayon nag-report ang ating National Vaccination Operation Center na ‘yung first dose na-deploy na po ‘yung 331,000 (The National Vaccination Operation Center reported that the first dose or 331, 000 vaccines have already been deployed),” the official said.

The government hopes to finish the inoculation of nearly 2 million medical frontliners in the first quarter of 2021.

It plans to vaccinate some 70 million Filipinos this year.