Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez said that the Philippines is trying to secure up to 80 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from American manufacturers.
“The total package that we are working out coming from the United States is anywhere between 70 to 80 million down the road and these deliveries will come starting June all the way down to the end of the year and perhaps the first quarter of next year,” said the country’s envoy to the United States.
It was previously disclosed by vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. that the government has reached out to countries, including the US and Israel for access to unused supply of COVID-19 shots.
For the part of the US, Romualdez noted Washington is currently using the World Health Organization’s COVAX facility to deliver vaccine assistance to more countries, including the Philippines.
He also disclosed US President Joe Biden recently wrote to President Rodrigo Duterte expressing his intention to help the country in its vaccine procurement as soon as the situation in America becomes more stable.
Meanwhile, Romualdez claimed they are working on the procurement of Moderna’s booster shots, which were seen to be effective against COVID-19 variants based on initial studies.
The ambassador added they are also hoping to secure another 5 million of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine on top of the 5 million initially committed to the Philippines.
