The Philippines can vaccinate 50 to 70 million of its citizens by the end of 2021 if vaccine supplies arrive on time, the leading official of the country’s immunization drive said Sunday.
The country will get some 10 million doses of coronavirus vaccines under the COVAX Facility in the first quarter, including 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine scheduled to arrive by the third week of February, said Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.
According to Galvez, the government aims to vaccinate some 70 to 80 million Filipino adults to achieve herd immunity.
“Sa best case scenario po, kung meron po tayong enough supply at naging successful ang negotiation natin, by December, kaya po natin 50 to 70 million,” said the country’s vaccine czar.
“Kung magkakaroon po tayo ng shortage ng supply, worst case scenario po natin, middle of 2022 po,” he added.
The Philippines has signed term sheets with five drugmakers amounting to 108 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, Galvez claimed. This is in addition to the 44 million that the World Health Organization said it would give under the COVAX Facility, he added.
“More or less 152 million doses na po tayo. Kung titingnan po natin, ididivide po natin sa dalawa, meron na po tayong more than 75 million na mababakunahan,” he said.
According to the vaccine czar, health workers in COVID-19 referral hospitals that first responded to the pandemic will be prioritized.
