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By Vann Marlo M. Villegas, Reporter
The PHILIPPINES will receive at least 5.6 million doses of coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer, Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc this quarter as part of a global initiative that ensures equitable distribution, according to the country’s vaccine czar.
The country will receive 117,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccines by mid-February, Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. said in a statement Sunday, citing a letter from Aurelia Nguyen, director general of the World Health Organization’s coronavirus disease 2019. (WHO). (COVID-19) Global Vaccine Access Facility.
He also said that the government would receive between 5.5 and 9.3 million doses of AstraZeneca in the first half. Galvez said the doses reflect the supply of the first two quarters while the drug maker awaits the WHO emergency use list.
“The arrival of these COVAX vaccines is a welcome advance pending the vaccines we have negotiated, which are expected to be delivered in the second, third and fourth quarters of this year,” he added.
The local Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the emergency use of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines.
The Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of Russia, Sinovac Biotech Ltd. of China and Bharat Biotech of India also have pending applications.
Mr. Gálvez said the vaccine would be administered first to healthcare workers, medical personnel, and other leaders. The government aims to obtain 148 million doses of vaccines this year for 70 million Filipinos.
The Department of Health (DoH) reported 2,103 coronavirus infections on Sunday, bringing the total to 525,618. The death toll rose by 80 to 10,749, while recoveries rose by 11,653 to 487,551, it said in a bulletin.
There were 27,318 active cases, of which 87.7% were mild, 5.5% had no symptoms, 3.3% were critical, 2.8% were severe, and 0.6% were moderate. Approximately 7.3 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of Jan.29, according to the Department of Health’s tracking website.
Meanwhile, 48 people who had close contact with patients who tested positive for a new strain of coronavirus tested negative for the most contagious variant, the Health Department said, easing concerns about new infections.
The Philippine Genome Center (PGC) analyzed only 48 samples in the fourth batch of genetic sequencing because it had run out of reagents, the substance it uses for chemical analysis, the Health Department said in a statement over the weekend.
“The PGC is also scheduled to sequence another 48 samples next week, including samples from the Cordillera Administrative Region and other target areas, while it awaits kits and reagents for genomic sequencing,” he added.
Of the 48 samples analyzed, 23 came from Metro Manila, the majority from Quezon City; 19 from the Calabarzon region, mostly from Laguna; four from the Cordillera region; and two returning Filipino migrants, DOH said.
Seven of the patients have recovered and the rest were mild cases or showed no symptoms, he added.
There were 17 cases in the Philippines of the new strain first detected in the UK.
The coronavirus has sickened more than 103.2 million and killed about 2.2 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, which cites multiple sources, including data from the World Health Organization. About 74.8 million people have recovered, he said.
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