Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 23) — The country’s vaccine czar clarified Tuesday the arrangement on private entities donating to the government part of the doses they bought from COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer AstraZeneca.
“’Yung AstraZeneca po ang nag-demand ng tinatawag nating 50% na ano po, na mayroon po sa government,” said Carlito Galvez Jr. during a televised virtual briefing. “Kasi mayroon po silang provision sa kanilang tinatawag na corporate principle na equitable access at saka non-privilege access.”
[Translation: AstraZeneca was the one who demanded that 50% [of the doses purchased] goes to government. This is because they have a provision on their corporate principles of equitable access and non-privilege access.]
Galvez, also the National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer, said this is to ensure the doses are balanced between the private sector and the marginalized populace targetted by the public sector.
However, he also said that such a requirement is imposed only by AstraZeneca and not by other vaccine makers such as Moderna, Novavax or Sinovac.
The Philippines has secured 17 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccines through tripartite agreements with private companies and local governments. This includes the 2.6 million doses purchased by the country’s top business conglomerates, of which half will go to their frontliners and the other half to the government.
The private sector is allowed to purchase COVID-19 vaccines by entering a tripartite agreement with government and the vaccine maker. Authorities say this is because the state needs to cover indemnity for any possible side effects with the administration of vaccines, which haven’t been cleared for commercial use yet.
The Philippines hopes to vaccinate 50 to 70 million Filipinos this year.
