More and more countries around
the world have begun their programs to vaccinate citizens against COVID-19,
using the wide variety of vaccines developed by many different pharmaceutical
companies. The one exception so far is the Philippines, having only negotiated
deals with the vaccine-makers but no solid timetable on when the vaccines will arrive.
This much is true of COVID vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca, with world
powers getting priority deliveries leading to shortages. The Chinese
pharmaceutical company Sinovac has promised the earliest possible vaccine
delivery, despite outside studies pointing out their lower efficacy rate
compared to the delayed Pfizer/AstraZeneca shipments.
How early will the Sinovac COVID
vaccine get to the Philippines? How about next Sunday? That, CNN Philippines reports, is the
confident deadline set by Sinovac Biotech for when the first deliveries of
their CoronaVac vaccine in the country, as relayed by Presidential spokesperson
Harry Roque in a press briefing this Thursday, February 25. No less than
600,000 doses of CoronaVac are expected. Sinovac originally estimated their
arrival last Tuesday, February 23, but are now pegging the date to be no later
than Sunday, February 28. “In three days, the vaccine will finally arrive,”
says Roque. “We are expecting by this Sunday. That would be Sinovac. We are all
excited.”
Sinovac’s Sunday delivery
timetable is reinforced by Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian. "It
is a fine tradition between China and the Philippines to help each other in
trying times,” noted Ambassador Huang in his own statement. "The donation
of vaccines is another testament to the solidarity as well as profound
friendship and partnership between our two peoples and two countries." The
CoronaVac shipment will be met by key government officials and, apparently,
President Rodrigo Duterte himself, in a gesture of gratitude for China coming
through when Western-made COVID vaccines have taken too long.
As already stated in earlier
information briefings by the government, the first COVID vaccines will be used
on priority personnel such as health workers and even the military. Since the
vaccine requires a double dose, it is estimated that the 600,000 initial doses
of CoronaVac from Sinovac Biotech will be distributed to about 250,000 health
workers and 50,000 soldiers. The latter are mandated by orders to be vaccinated
against COVID, but they can choose to defer being injected with Coronavac and
wait for other vaccines. The Philippine Food and Drug Administration gave
Coronavac its Emergency Use Authorization Monday, February 22.
Image from The Boston Globe
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