China will donate another batch of coronavirus vaccines to the Philippines that could further boost the local vaccination drive.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said China is expected to send 739,200 donated doses of Sinopharm vaccines to the country on Friday, August 20. This is the part of the 1 million Chinese-donated vaccines expected to arrive this week.
Roque announced the upcoming vaccine donation of China while citing the country's increasing supply and inoculation aimed at boosting the protection of Filipinos from the coronavirus disease.
"Bukas, August 20 din ay darating naman po ang 739,200 doses ng Sinopharm na donasyon muli galing sa Tsina (Tomorrow, August 20, the 739,200 doses of Sinopharm donated by China will arrive)," he said during a televised press briefing Thursday, August 19.
Earlier, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said the Chinese donation of 1 million Sinopharm vaccines will arrive starting Friday.
"As part of China's pledge to substantively increase the supply of vaccines to the Philippines, China will be donating an additional 1 million Sinopharm vaccines that will arrive this Friday and Saturday," the envoy said in a Facebook post Thursday.
China previously donated a million Sinovac vaccines to the Philippines, that allowed the government to kick off the inoculation drive last March. President Duterte has expressed gratitude to China for the vaccine donation, citing the close friendship between the two nations. Recently, Duterte said when China donated the vaccines, there were "no strings attached" except that "their boats are there," alluding the Chinese ships detected in the West Philippine Sea.
Sinopharm jab is the coronavirus vaccine preferred by the President. He got fully vaccinated last July after an initial controversy over his first dose of the unregistered jab last May. The country’s Food and Drug Administration only issued emergency use authorization for the vaccine developed by the Chinese pharmaceutical firm around June.
Apart from the Sinopharm jabs, Roque said the country can expect the arrival of 3 million Sinovac vaccines bought by the government on Thursday, August 19.
Around 582,500 AstraZeneca jabs procured by the private sector will also arrive in the country on Friday, August 20.
The country has so far obtained more than 40 million doses of the life-saving drugs, with over 29 million already administered. The recent vaccine delivery was 365,040 doses of Pfizer vaccines bought by the government. Around 12 million have already been fully vaccinated.