Gov’t eyes giving COVID-19 vaccines to 25 million Filipinos in 2021

The Philippine government eyes vaccinating around 25 million Filipinos against COVID-19 next year, National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said.

“Our target this year is 25 million. Based on the availability of the vaccine, we can expand it to 30 to 35 million,” he said in an ANC interview.

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Three million of the said figures are health care and other essential workers, Galvez said.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said it would release the COVID-19 vaccines approved for the World Health Organization’s () Solidarity Trials this week.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, DOST vaccine expert panel council chairperson Dr. Nina Gloriani showed the specifics of WHO’s trials in the country.

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According to Gloriani, the total number of participants is still being finalized.

The DOST official said the trials’ initial sites would be in areas with high COVID-19 transmissions, such as in the National Capital Region, Calabarzon, and Cordillera Administrative Region.

Gov’t eyes giving COVID-19 vaccines to 25 million Filipinos in 2021

Meanwhile, Galvez appealed to the public to be patient with the vaccines because manufacturers of Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca, which were all found to be 90% effective, would prioritize its residents.

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“Sila po ang nag-finance, sa kanila po galing iyong bakuna, kaya sila po talaga ang mauunang mag-roll out [for mass vaccination],” he said.

“Ang nakikita po natin sa Pfizer at sa iba pang leading vaccines, iyong production po nila for first and second quarter nakuha na po ng rich countries. Ang natitira po sa atin, mga last portion of second quarter to third quarter [darating]. Iyon po ang reality,” he added.

Still, Galvez expressed confidence that the Philippines’ mass COVID-19 vaccination could begin in March or April, starting with vaccines from Chinese firms Sinovac and CanSino.

“These are already approved for emergency use authorization in China, and we will ask them to increase their volume [of production for the Philippines] since they will also conduct a clinical trial here,” he said.

“Sana makuha natin ng by first quarter of next year. We are still in negotiation, but there is more confidence in Sinovac because they already gave 1.8 million and 1.2 million doses COVID-19 vaccines in Brazil and Indonesia,” he added.