The Philippines purchased more coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines developed by western countries as compared to Chinese-made doses, said National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19 Special Adviser Dr. Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa on Sunday, Dec. 26.
In an interview over DZBB, Herbosa said the national government procured 40 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines, 20 million jabs of Moderna, and 17 million doses of AstraZeneca.
“Mas marami tayong binili na western vaccines kaysa Chinese-made vaccines (We purchased more western vaccines compared to Chinese-made vaccines),” said Herbosa.
He likewise reiterated that all vaccine brands, may it be from China or western countries, remain effective against COVID-19.
Meanwhile, in order to hit the target of ”54 million fully inoculated Filipinos” by year-end, Herbosa said that the country ramped up its inoculation drive in “large regions“ such as Region 3 (Central Luzon) and Region 4A (Calabarzon).
The national government temporarily halted the country’s COVID-19 vaccination drive from Dec. 24 until Dec. 26 to give way for the celebration of holidays.
Furthermore, data from the National COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard showed that 47 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Dec. 25. (Charie Mae F. Abarca)