Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said Monday provinces outside the National Capital Region (NCR) might only receive 15,000 to 20,000 doses of vaccines each.
“Kaunting pasensya lang sa probinsya kasi kapag pinaghati hati natin ang probinsya, majority po nagkaroon lang ng 15,000 to 20,000 ang pinakamalaki,” Galvez said during the weekly Talk to the Nation with President Rodrigo Duterte.
“If we have 81 provinces kasama po ang NCR, talagang ang pinakamalaking makukuha ng isang probinsya is only 15 to 20,000. Kaya madidilute natin ang vaccines. Ang magkakasurge, ‘yon ang babatuhan ng malalaking volumes ng vaccines,” he added.
According to Galvez, Sinovac could be sending 5.5 million doses of CoronaVac to the Philippines next month.
He explained that Sinovac eyes to complete its 20.5 million doses of delivery by September instead of November.
If this would the case, a minimum of 5 to 6 million doses of vaccines will be delivered every month to the Philippines, the vaccine czar added. These doses can be used to augment the vaccines to be shipped to the provinces, he added.
Provinces outside NCR may get 15k-20k vaccine doses each – Galvez
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas lamented that NCR has been getting most vaccines even as the provinces experience a COVID-19 surge.
“We have been informing the Secretary Galvez we need medical personnel, equipment, COVID-19 meds, and vaccines because ultimately what will give protection to our constituents would be the vaccine,” Treñas said.
“OCTA had recommended that 90% of these vaccines will be allocated to NCR Plus 8 and now, this is the result of their recommendation,” he added.
“It’s about time that we should listen also to the local leaders. It’s the local leader who understands what’s happening to us,” Treñas said.
“It’s not OCTA who understand what’s happening to our constituents,” he added.
The Department of Health Monday reported that over two million Filipinos already completed their doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
Up to eight million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to the people since the vaccination program began in March.
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