The government will secure 20 million doses of vaccines from United States-based Moderna to help protect Filipinos from the new coronavirus disease, Malacañang announced on Tuesday.
The vaccine procurement from Moderna will boost the country’s supply deals to purchase 72 million doses from Novavax, Sinovac, and AstraZeneca, according to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque.
"'Yung Moderna sabi ni (Philippine) Ambasador (Jose Manuel) Romualdez pwede na inanunsyo (Ambassador Romualdez said we can announce it)...We can look forward to 20 million doses of Moderna,” he said during a televised press briefing.
The government has so far secured 30 million vaccine doses developed by Novovax and the Serum Institute of India, 25 million doses from China's Sinovac, and 17 million from the UK-based AstraZeneca. Roque said the government has already forged "term sheets" with these three vaccine makers.
The country's initial supply of COVID-19 vaccines is expected to arrive next month. Roque said a small supply of Pfizer vaccines is expected to arrive next month through the World Health Organization-backed COVAX facility, a global initiative to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. Around 50,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines will also be delivered next month.
On the efficacy of the vaccines, Roque said Pfizer is known to have 95 percent efficacy to prevent clinical disease. Moderna has 94 percent efficiency, AstraZeneca with 62 percent to 90 percent, and Sinovac with 50 percent to 91 percent.
At least P82.5 billion has been earmarked for the government's procurement of coronavirus vaccines. Of the amount, Roque said P70 billion will be sourced from loans, P2.5 billion from the 2021 national budget, and P10 billion from the Bayanihan 2 law.
Roque assured the nation that the government will make public the exact price of the vaccines once the sale contract is inked and the distribution of the supplies is approved.