President Duterte instructed concerned agencies to ensure the timely rollout of the CoronaVac shots donated by the Chinese government, saying the country cannot waste time and resources in the distribution of the vaccines since it would mean the lives of Filipinos.
Duterte made the statement as he personally received the 600,000 doses of CoronaVac vaccines at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City on Sunday, February 28.
In his speech, President Duterte assured the public that the government remains committed to the timely rollout of the vaccination program against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), ordering concerned agencies to make sure that there will be no hitches in the distribution of the vaccines.
"As we prepare for the distribution, I am directing all concerned agencies to institutionalize the whole-of-government approach in its rollout," he said.
"I cannot stress enough: We cannot waste time or resources in the distribution of these vaccines because we are dealing with precious lives," he added.
According to President Duterte, the arrival of the 600,000 CoronaVac doses donated by the Chinese government was the sign of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
"We welcome this day with high hopes of finally ending the COVID-19 pandemic in our country," he said.
"Today we make another step towards our ongoing fight against COVID-19 as we receive 600,000 doses of CoronaVac from the People's Republic of China," he added.
With the recent shipment, Duterte expressed confidence that more batches of vaccines will be available with great dispatch until every Filipino will be given the chance to be vaccinated at the earliest possible opportunity.
The 600,000 CoronaVac shots are manufactured by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac and donated by the Chinese government to the Philippines.
The government is aiming to vaccinate at least 50 million Filipinos against COVID-19 this year.