Half a million COVID-19 vaccines of Sinovac arrive at NAIA

Another batch of Sinovac, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine from China, has arrived in the Philippines.

500,000 doses of CoronaVac, manufactured by Chinese company Sinovac, arrived this Thursday, 7:37 a.m. at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III was one of those who welcomed the Sinovac vaccines.

As a result, 5.5 million doses of COVID-19 have arrived in Manila from China. About 7.7 million vaccines have been delivered to the Philippines.

It is said to be the sixth shipment of the vaccine from Beijing.

According to the latest report by the Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday, the total number of doses administered against the deadly virus in the Philippines is 3,299,470.

Of that number, 2,512,942 have received the first dose, while 786,528 have completed the two doses.

The government targets injecting 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines daily to achieve “herd immunity” in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, Metro Davao, and six provinces in Regions III and IV by November 27, which represents 60% of the Philippine economy.

Local COVID-19 infections reached 1,159,071 yesterday. Of that number, 19,507 have lost their lives.

Half a million COVID-19 vaccines of Sinovac arrive at NAIA

Meanwhile, the OCTA Research Group proposes to pour 90 percent of the supply of COVID-19 vaccines into the National Capital Region (NCR), which remains the epicenter of the pandemic in the country.

According to professor Guido David of OCTA, although there is an increase in the number of new cases in some provinces, the focus on the NCR should still be a priority.

“Some of them are having an increase, but the caseloads are not really significant. And right now, we are only seeing a few LGUs (local government units) with significant number of cases outside the NCR. So, it’s not really as alarming as it sounds,” said David.

As a result, the NCR should be provided 90 percent of the vaccine supply and allocate the remaining 10 percent to health workers and senior citizens elsewhere.

If there is a recalibration of the strategy, herd immunity in Metro Manila may be achieved, and many industries will return to normal operations by December.