JAKARTA – The Philippines is expected to begin the Covid-19 vaccination next month through Covax facility, a global platform formed to ensure jabs reach those in greatest need, an official said today.
“Our submission for the eligibility list will be on January 18. Just in case it’s approved or we’re included, there will be an early deployment of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca,” Anadolu Agency citing daily Phil Star quoted Carlito Galvez Jr, an advisor to the president, as saying at a senate hearing today.
Under the WHO-led initiative, each country will get doses for 20% of the population in the initial phase.
Two Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Oxford’s AstraZeneca have also sought approval for the vaccine roll out in the Philippines. They are yet to get the approval, it reported.
Meanwhile, the country also signed an agreement on Saturday with Serum Institute of India and its local partner Faberco Life Sciences Inc to secure 30 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine Covovax.
Galvez said the Philippines will secure 30 to 40 million doses of vaccines from US-based Novavax, jointly developed with Serum Institute of India.
The vaccine is currently undergoing phase-three trials in the United Kingdom with 15,000 subjects and in the United States and Mexico with 30,000 subjects each. – Bernama, January 11, 2021
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