(PhilStar) MANILA, Philippines — Vaccines developed by the United States could arrive in the country in the next two months, Manila’s envoy to Washington said Tuesday.
A vast majority of the Philippines’ supply of COVID-19 jabs remain from China’s Sinovac, while some 525,600 doses of AstraZeneca arrived in March from the global initiative COVAX facility.
In a Palace briefing, Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said Moderna gave a target date of June 15 for an initial 200,000 doses. A supply agreement for 20 million doses was signed in March, but there has been no word on a final purchase deal.
“I think they’re quite confident that they will be able to [roll in[ the vaccines,” he said. “Then, it will start increasing in succeeding months…they will complete the 20 million before the end of the year.”
Moderna is taken in two doses, and has reported an efficacy rate of 94%. Regulators in the US also approved it for emergency use in late 2020, but it has yet to apply for the same in the Philippines… Read More