The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) clarified Monday that it is not selling Moderna COVID-19 vaccines after its chairman, Senator Richard Gordon said that two doses cost P3500.
According to Maria Carissa Coscolluela, Red Cross Philippines’ governor, they are “not in the business of selling vaccines”.
She said Philippine Red Cross members and donors “can bear the cost of the vaccines, which is at US$26.83 per dose.”
Gordon earlier Monday told in an interview with ANC’s Headstart around 200,000 doses of Moderna vaccines will arrive next month.
“If we are going to wait for the [government’s] vaccines to come, mahuhuli (we will be late),” he said.
“Those of you who cannot wait, you pay P3,500 and that’s 2 doses already,” he said.
Coscolluela clarified that Gordon never really said that the Red Cross would selling vaccines, but only noted the need “to act fast and vaccinate as many people as we can” in the country.
“What he said was that the PRC procured Moderna COVID-19 vaccines and intends to vaccinate Red Cross members and donors, who are also our members, who are willing to bear the cost of the vaccines, which was US$26.83 per dose,” she said.
Philippine Red Cross not selling Moderna COVID-19 vaccines
“The PRC is a humanitarian organization and is not in the business of selling any vaccines. It does not charge for anything that it got free.”
While the Philippine Red Cross is set to begin its inoculation program soon, Gordon said he does not support mass vaccination.
“I’m afraid of mass vaccinations… Lilinya yung mga tao, maghahawa-hawa yan (People might get infected with the disease while they are in line),” he said.
“What you need is more vaccination centers na supervised… You cannot vaccinate 30,000 in one area only. I think it is gonna cause a lot of problems,” he said.
The national government targets to inoculate 58 million or 70% of 83 million people in COVID-19 hotspots to achieve herd immunity, according to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Monday.
Roque said of the hotspots include the National Capital Region, Metro Cebu, Metro Davao, Bulacan, Cavite, Pampanga, Laguna, Batangas, and Rizal.
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