China is most likely initial source of vaccine for PH – Sec. Galvez

The first COVID-19 vaccine that the Philippines will have access to will likely be from China, the country's inoculation czar said Wednesday.

In an interview with ANC, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the Philippines can get its hands on the COVID-19 vaccine being developed by China’s Sinovac the soonest.

“Most probably sa (in the) first quarter,” Galvez said.

“Sabi ng nakausap natin before IP Biotech (According to IP Biotech who we have talked to before), if we will be able to have some sort of the consummation of contract, when we already successfully sign the contract they can provide it after 60 days to 90 days meaning, two to three months if we will have the signing this month, most likely we can have it in March,” he added.

IP Biotech is a local drug importer.

Aside from the Chinese drugmaker, Galvez said it is also possible that the earliest vaccine that can be made available in the country will come from Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology.

Galvez however said they are seeing more “confidence” in the Chinese vaccine developer since it has already supplied doses in countries like Brazil and Indonesia.

“The confidence is there because it will be rolled out first in Indonesia,” Galvez said.

The vaccine czar allayed fears and concerns of using a China-produced vaccine.

“I was briefed by the vaccine expert panel and also the DOST (Department of Science and Technology) and based on their evaluation Sinovac’s and the Chinese vaccines are safe because it comes from the inactivated virus platform,” he said.

“The safest among the platforms is the inactivated virus,” he added.

As for other vaccines like the one produced by Pfizer and BioNTech, Galvez said the country can get access to it by the second or third quarter of 2021.

“Ang nakikita natin sa Pfizer at tsaka sa ibang leading vaccines…ay sa middle or last portion of the of the second quarter and also third quarter, ‘yan po ang reality (What we are seeing is that Pfizer and other leading vaccines…we can get our hands on that on the middle or last portion of the second quarter and also on the third quarter, that's the reality),” Galvez said.

Galvez explained that the production line of the leading vaccine developers like Pfizer and AstraZeneca during the first and second quarter of 2021 has already been “taken” by rich countries.

"Yung mga vaccines came from the first world countries they even financed it. Definitely kung sila po ang nag finance sa kanila po galing, definitely sila po agn unang mag ro-roll out (The vaccines that came from the first world countries, they even financed it. Definitely, the leading vaccines will be rolled out first in the countries that financed its manufacturing or in the countries where it was developed)," he said.

"Considering that we don't produce our own vaccines the possibility really is to have that vaccine after the roll out of the original country," he added.