Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 23) — Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. is expecting more vaccine deliveries to the country from different manufacturers by September and October.
“Ang majority ng ating mga procured vaccine, including Pfizer, Sinovac, at saka ‘yung Moderna and maybe ‘yung Gamaleya [Majority of the vaccines we procured, including Pfizer, Sinovac, Moderna, and maybe from Gamaleya], they might increase their deliveries this coming September and October,” said Galvez in a Palace briefing on Monday.
Galvez said the country has so far secured 165.4 million vaccine doses, where around 100 million were procured by the government. The rest were from the Covax facility, donations from other countries, and the procurement of private sectors and local government units, he added.
The vaccine czar said the country is also expecting more vaccine donations from three countries, though he did not provide details.
Moreover, Galvez said the country is in talks with some vaccine makers for the purchase of booster doses and vaccines that are effective against COVID-19 variants.
“We are now coordinating with some manufacturers, four or five manufacturers, for second-wave procurement of either booster or second-generation vaccines that can handle variants,” said Galvez.
The government has earmarked ₱45.37 billion for booster doses under “unprogrammed appropriations” in the proposed 2022 budget. However, experts are still studying whether booster shots are necessary.
The Food and Drug Administration also recently approved for emergency use of Sputnik Light, the single-dose vaccine of Russia’s Gamaleya Institute.
The government said it has so far administered more than 30 million COVID-19 vaccines, adding that some 13 million Filipinos are now fully vaccinated against the disease.
