
MANILA – The arrival of 400,000 doses of city-procured Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines on Thursday added to the significance of the 450th anniversary commemoration of “Araw ng Maynila” (Manila Day).
The consignment was among the two million doses delivered to the Ninoy Aquino Terminal Airport, with the remaining 1.6 million purchased by the national government.
The welcome ceremony was attended by Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso and Vice Mayor Dr. Honey Lacuna-Pangann, as well as National Task Force Against Covid-19 Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
Officials from Sinovac Philippine distributor, IP-Biotech, Inc., also attended.
The Manila City Council funded PHP298.5 million for the Sinovac purchase, which was made possible by a tripartite agreement with the national government and with the support of Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian.
“Your city will continue to vaccinate as many as possible, as soon as possible. Our partnership with IP-Biotech and other local businesses will help us reach herd immunity in no time. More jabs will also create more jobs that will contribute to economic recovery,” Domagoso said in a previous interview.
Domagoso also stated that they bought 800,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines in January, but delivery may not arrive until September.
Manila had previously immunized around 41% of the city’s target demographic of 800,000 people.
The Manila Health Department stated on Tuesday that 35,572 people had been immunized, a one-day record.