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MANILA – The Philippines is close to concluding talks with Britain’s AstraZeneca for the supply of at least 20 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, a senior official with the coronavirus task force said on Monday.
Carlito Gálvez, the former general in charge of strategy to combat the coronavirus, said the government was also in talks with Pfizer Inc and China’s Sinovac for vaccine supply deals.
Gálvez said the government could sign an advance market agreement with AstraZeneca before the end of the month.
If negotiations with three pharmaceutical companies are successful, Gálvez said in a televised briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines could secure 60 million doses of vaccines.
AstraZeneca said Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine could be 90% effective, giving the global fight against the global pandemic a new weapon, cheaper to manufacture, easier to distribute and faster to scale than its rivals.
READ: AstraZeneca Says Its Coronavirus Vaccine May Be 90% Effective
Galvez said the British government has offered to send military personnel to the country to help with the deployment of the vaccines, which could reach the country in the second quarter of next year.
Finance Secretary Carlos Domínguez said in the same report that the government was seeking 73.2 billion pesos ($ 1.52 billion) from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, state banks and bilateral sources to finance the purchase of the vaccines.
With its more than 108 million people and some of the highest numbers of COVID-19 infections in Asia, the Philippines is considered a suitable location for clinical trials and a large market for vaccine manufacturers globally. ($ 1 = 48.3 pesos) –Reporting by Karen Lema; Edited by Nick Macfie
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