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The government is now looking to finalize the number of vaccines against the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) that it will be able to buy this month, as the president discovered an additional $ 300 million funding source for the acquisition of vaccines.
Philippine officials are currently in bilateral talks with the governments and companies of China, Russia, the United Kingdom and Australia, which have pledged to provide Manila with access to its Covid-19 vaccines once they are available.
The main executor of the government’s national policy on Covid-19 and the vaccine czar Carlito Gálvez said that he has set himself the goal of giving them enough time to prepare the payment and distribution scheme for these vaccines. “By November we will have the concrete [figures] How many countries or vaccine companies will they be more than willing to give us? ”Gálvez said during an online press conference on Wednesday.
Vaccine selections
Currently, Galvez said that the government is considering purchasing possible Covid-19 vaccines from 8 different countries.
Of these vaccines, five are from the United States and three from China.
Two are based in Russia. At least one vaccine will each come from the UK, Japan, India, Israel and Germany.
Gálvez did not reveal the names of the vaccines to avoid prejudice about their application in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the local use of their vaccines.
He said they will choose the vaccines to buy using the following criteria: platform; state of development; storage requirement; Dose; price; estimated global production capacity; earlier rotation.
“By November we will have the concrete [figures] How many countries or vaccine companies will be more than willing to give us, ”said Gálvez.
Payment in advance
Paying for the vaccines, which are still being developed, will be a challenge due to existing government protocols that prohibit the government from making advance payments, Gálvez acknowledged.
But after consulting the Audit Commission (COA), he said they may be able to make such payments for the purchase of the vaccine as long as it is approved by President Duterte.
“Our plan is to have the authorization within this year. So in case it’s available in the second quarter [of 2021], we have sufficient preparation for the procurement and manufacturing process, ”said Gálvez.
Another option the government is considering is asking the private sector or international lending institutions such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank.
Gálvez assured that the government has sufficient funds to buy the vaccines.
In Bayanihan to Recover as One, a budget of P10 billion was allocated for the purchase of vaccines. The Department of Finance (DOF) said it will have access to another US $ 300 million for the initiative if necessary.
Logistical concerns
Gálvez also said they have yet to fully resolve their concern about securing the cold chain storage facility necessary for the distribution of their vaccines.
He noted that some of the potential Covid-19 vaccines will require being kept at temperatures of -70 to -80 degrees Celsius to remain effective.
Based on initial consultations with the private sector, the facilities are only available in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao.
Given this situation, Gálvez said that they might have to plan their Covid-19 vaccination campaign in major urban areas.
Some of the companies that have cold storage capacity are considering expanding into other areas such as Cagayán De Oro, but it is not yet clear if such facilities will be completed by the second quarter of 2021, when the government plans to start its Covid-19 campaign. vaccination.
Gálvez said they also aim to address this distribution and storage problem before the end of the year.
An initial 25 million people from the priority sectors identified by Duterte and the Department of Health (DOH) are expected to benefit from the initial batch of Covid-19 vaccine that will be procured by the government.
These include healthcare workers, government employees, poor families, Filipino workers abroad, and uniformed government personnel. (
$ 300 million of additional funds
The country may have an additional financing facility of $ 300 million if it needs to buy vaccines to combat Covid-19.
During his public address Tuesday night, Duterte said the Department of Finance (DOF) was able to secure a new source of funding for the vaccine procurement initiative.
The new funding will add to the $ 20 billion the DOF previously earmarked to purchase Covid-19 vaccines for 20 million Filipinos.
However, he said the government may no longer take on the vaccine requirements for the middle and upper class of society, as they could pay for the vaccine on their own.
The government funding guarantee comes as various companies are now in the final stages of developing the Covid-19 vaccine.
The vaccines are expected to be ready in the first half of next year.
Due to high demand for the vaccine, Duterte said the government may not be able to immediately purchase the necessary doses due to supply problems.
However, he said, the early launch of the vaccines has lessened his fears about the health risk posed by Covid-19.
“I am no longer afraid of (Covid-19) … for future generations: my children and
Grandchildren, I’m pretty confident with the idea that they … can take shelter from the Covid storm, ”Duterte said.
