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NTF seeks to close deals with 3 COVID-19 vaccine makers in April
NTF seeks to close deals with 3 COVID-19 vaccine makers in April
Vaccine delivery update:
The National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 is eyeing to finalize its supply agreements with three international vaccine manufacturers in the first or second week of April for the procurement of more coronavirus disease vaccines.
NTF chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Tuesday, March 30, that they are looking forward to settle the government's supply deals with Johnson and Johnson (J&J) of United States, Gamaleya Research Institute of Russia, and Pfizer of US in the first half of April.
Galvez said he will be meeting with representatives from Johnson and Johnson's on Wednesday, April 1, to discuss the final details of the country's supply agreement. He also set a meeting with representatives from Pfizer on Tuesday but no details were divulged as of writing. Meanwhile, a follow-up meeting with representatives from Gamaleya is yet to be announced.
"e will be finalizing the supply agreement with Johnson and Johnson's and Gamaleya. We also have a meeting with Pfizer this morning. Hopefully, all of these contracts will be finished this coming first week or second week of April," he said.
Meanwhile, Galvez said that the NTF has finalized the supply deals with four other international vaccine manufacturers namely China's Sinovac Biotech, British-Swede firm AstraZeneca, US' Moderna, and Serum Institute of India's Novavax. The deliveries from the four firms are set to boost the monthly allocation secured by the country from the World Health Organization (WHO)-led Covax facility.
Once all the deals are finalized, the government is expecting the delivery of 1.5 million doses of CoronaVac vaccines from Sinovac, 100,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccines from Gamaleya, and one million doses from the Covax facility in April.
In May, the country expects two million doses from Sinovac, two million doses from Gamaleya, 2.6 million from AstraZeneca, one million from the Covax facility, and 194,000 doses of Moderna vaccines.
There will also be 4.5 million doses from Sinovac, four million from Gamaleya, one million from Novavax, and two million from AstraZeneca in June.
In July, the expected deliveries include three million doses from Sinovac, four million from Gamaleya, one million from Moderna, two million from Novavax, 1.5 million from Johnson & Johnson's, and two million from AstraZeneca.
Meanwhile, 20 million vaccine doses are set to be delivered per month from August to December.
In total, the government is looking to acquire more than 140 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to inoculate 70 million individuals and achieve herd immunity by the end of 2021.