Philippines can start COVID-19 vaccination by May 2021 – Galvez

MANILA (TO UPDATE) The Philippines may begin inoculating COVID-19 vaccines to the public in May next year if all goes according to plan, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., who was recently appointed to lead the import and distribution program, said Thursday.

The government is looking to place an anticipated purchase of around 24 million vaccines within the first quarter of next year, Galvez said. The initial batch of vaccines will be for front-line people, the indigent and vulnerable sectors, he said.

The deployment of the inoculation will largely depend on the financing, development and approval of the vaccines, he said.

“If all goes well, ang mangyayari po will be before May,” he told ANC’s Headstart when asked about the vaccination schedule.

In case there are supply and demand obstacles, the earliest the program can start is late 2021, he said.

“Our vaccine roadmap is 3-5 years. You may also look at the demand and supply of vaccines. Before the end of 2020, the World Bank presentation to us, more or less, will only produce 1.4 billion vaccines, “he said.

(Our vaccine roadmap spans 3-5 years. You can also look at the demand and supply of the vaccine. The World Bank presentation indicates that by the end of 2020, only 1.4 billion vaccines will be produced).

“Right now, so far, the demand from the big countries is more than that. We are really struggling with supply and demand, so we are appealing to the WHO (World Health Organization) for a equitable access, “he added.

(Demand from big countries is more than that, so far. We will really have a hard time, so we appeal to WHO to ensure equitable access).

The country has a “reserve fund,” which will allow purchases “above” what could be allocated in next year’s budget as approved by Congress, Gálvez said.

The Health Department reported an additional 987 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the lowest daily count on record in nearly 4 months. This brings the country’s total confirmed cases to 388,137.