Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 30)— There will be a “slight delay” in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to be supplied by the COVAX facility to the Philippines due to logistical issues, Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Tuesday.
“Ang latest information po natin sa COVAX ay magkakaroon po tayo ng slight delay considering of the constraints sa ating global logistics,” Galvez told a virtual Palace briefing.
“Nagkakaroon ng massive vaccination iyong mga countries na nandoon ang manufacturing,” he explained. “So ang nakita po natin ay magkakaroon po ng restrictions on the exports of these vaccines.”
[Translation: Our latest information from COVAX is that we will have a slight delay considering the constraints in global logistics. Massive vaccination is ongoing in countries where the manufacturing also takes place. So we’re seeing there will be restrictions on the exports of these vaccines.]
The pronouncement comes after the COVAX facility had announced deliveries of vaccines from the Serum Institute of India will be delayed this March and April due to the South Asian country’s battle against a new wave of virus infections.
COVAX is a global initiative led by the World Health Organization, vaccine alliance Gavi, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations that seeks member countries’ equitable access to coronavirus vaccines.
The Philippines has been expecting the arrival of one million more doses from COVAX this April, regardless of brand.
TIMELINE: COVID-19 vaccine deliveries and rollout in the Philippines
Galvez said the government is “trying its best” to facilitate the remaining commitment from COVAX.
This is not the first time the country encountered roadblocks in vaccine deliveries from the global facility.
The Philippines was supposed to receive 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines in February, but the delivery was hampered due to the absence of an indemnification deal between the parties. The initial AstraZeneca vaccine donations— the second shipment to arrive in the Philippines earlier this month— were also delayed by a few days.
