The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine may soon arrive in the country. Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to the Philippines, said they expect it to happen either in late March or in April.
"We understand that almost all of the criteria that were required by the company have been addressed by the Philippine government," he said in a virtual forum Tuesday, March 9.
Pfizer is expected to deliver 117,000 doses of COVID-19 through the COVAX Facility. Abeyasinghe said they also expect more than 4.5 million vaccines to come within the next two months.
On March 4, more than 480,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines arrived in the Philippines from the COVAX Facility, the international partnership established to ensure equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines around the world.
Another 38,400 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines arrived on March 7.
The Philippines is among the first countries in Southeast Asia to receive vaccines from the COVAX Facility.
COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), working in partnership with UNICEF as well as the World Bank, civil society organizations, manufacturers, and others.
The COVAX Facility leads an unprecedented effort to provide at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021 to low- and middle-income countries.
The COVAX Facility aims to procure 2 billion doses by the end of 2021.
The vaccines are intended to protect frontline health care and social workers, as well as high risk and vulnerable people.
COVAX was set up to address concerns around fairness and making vaccines available to all.