Due to the continuous outbreak of COVID-19 cases in India, the schedule for the arrival of the vaccine in the Philippines from there has also been affected.
“Because of what’s happening in India, they have stopped muna ‘yung kanilang commitments to other countries. Hindi lang tayo ang nagkaroon ng ganiyang issue,” said Health Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire.
On Thursday, India recorded the highest number of deaths in COVID-19 in a single day beating at more than 3,645.
There were 379,257 new cases recorded, another record-high.
Gravediggers in Mumbai work relentlessly to bury those who died due to COVID-19.
In vacant lots and parking lots, other corpses are cremated because the crematoriums are still full.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in India is now over 18 million.
Some help came from Russia, including oxygen concentrators, ventilators and medicines.
In May the first batch of Sputnik V, the vaccine made in Russia, will arrive in India.
The United States will send oxygen cylinders, N-95 masks, test kits and vaccine-making components.
Philippine vaccine orders affected by COVID-19 crisis in India
India still does not have enough vaccine supply for the 600,000 million people who can receive it.
Only nine percent of India’s more than 1.3 billion population are vaccinated.
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that it has already given the EUA to Covaxin of Bharat Biotech from India as well as Janssen vaccine of American company Johnson & Johnson.
But FDA Director-General Eric Domingo clarified that for now, the authorization given to Covaxin is conditional.
“May isang papel pa po sila na kailangan i-submit sa amin bago mag-import ng bakuna,” said Domingo.
“Hindi po kailangang mangamba o mag-agam agam ang ating mga kababayan dahil binigyan naman ng conditional na EUA ang Bharat Biotech” (The public should not worry because the Bharat Biotech has been given a conditional EUA), DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online briefing.
She added, “[Ngunit] hindi pa rin po nila pwedeng ipasok ang kanilang mga bakuna dito sa ating bansa hanggang hindi po kumpleto ang kanilang requirements” (However, the Bharat Biotech cannot bring its vaccines into our country until the requirements are fully complied with).
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