Following the success of the recent ceremonial virtual signing of the 2.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from the private and public sector called “A Dose of Hope” led by Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion, National Task Force and Philippine Vaccine Czar Charlie Galvez, AstraZeneca Philippines Country President Lotis Ramin, and the more than 30 companies, the second part is now approved and can now be processed.
Concepcion said the initial procurement was meant to be more than 2.6 million, but had to follow a supply timeline following other countries and institutions in securing their vaccines.
“The donations from the private sector had the potential to go over 3 million. This development is really fantastic. I thank the Astra group for their efforts in really helping the Philippines,” Concepcion noted.
“We are happy to announce that with enough support, and of course, demand coming from the private sector, the second part is now already in the works. The signing we did a few weeks ago have made headlines and we received several inquiries from the private sector asking for more allocation, hence, a request to AstraZeneca to hopefully allow us to have a second batch," Concepcion said.
“With the constant support from the partner private sectors and the government, and our own way of finding out how we can secure the vaccines, we are now expecting more vaccines to come and more lives to be saved in the process. The private-public partnership has spelled wonders for our fight against COVID-19,” he said.
“So far, this private-public partnership is working so well and has become a template for the private sector in this war against COVID-19,” he added.
“With all these announcements, our Filipino people can be assured that we will not be left behind. We will soon see this pandemic disappear,” Concepcion assured the public.
Vaccine review
All signs point to pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and minors under 16-years-old not getting any COVID-19 vaccine shots in the foreseeable future due to safety concerns, said Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor Sunday, as the very promising Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is beginning to make waves abroad, particularly in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada where it has been approved for use.
“For now, the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE cannot be used in individuals younger than 16-years-old, based on our comprehensive review of the EUAs (emergency use authorizations) issued by pharmaceutical regulators in the three countries,” Defensor said.
“The use of the vaccine in pregnant women and mothers who are breastfeeding is also either totally not recommended, or being discouraged with stern warnings,” Defensor, a Health committee vice chairman, also said. (With a report from Raymund F. Antonio)