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'Doses of hope': PH signs tripartite deal for 20M Moderna vaccines
'Doses of hope': PH signs tripartite deal for 20M Moderna vaccines
The national government has signed a tripartite agreement with the private sector and American vaccine manufacturer Moderna for the procurement of 20 million doses of anti-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. bared Friday, March 19.
Galvez, chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 and designated vaccine czar, said he inked the deal with the private sector, represented by business tycoon Enrique Razon, chairman of International Container Terminals Services, Inc. (ICTSI); and Moderna Senior Vice President Patrick Bergstedt on March 18.
Under the agreement, the national government will get 13 million doses of Moderna vaccines while the private sector will receive seven million doses for the inoculation of its frontline workers.
However, the date of delivery of the Moderna jabs has yet to be revealed.
Galvez said that the signing of the tripartite agreement will help the the country realize its goal of having a steady supply of vaccines this year.
"This is part of our goal to vaccinate 70 million of our adult population and recover the economy from the pandemic," he said.
Moderna reported that its vaccine, which is taken in two doses, has a 94 percent efficacy rate.
The government started negotiating with Moderna late last year after the pharmaceutical firm secured an emergency use authorization (EUA) in the United States. At present, Moderna has yet to secure an EUA from the Philippines' Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Razon said in a statement published on ICTSI's website last February 4 that his company "has formally committed to manage and fund the entire international logistics effort for the Moderna order".
He said this would be part of the company's "intrinsic and moral obligation to assist our countrymen in every way possible".
Galvez thanked Razon, Bergstedt, and Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel "Babe" Romualdez for the provision of Moderna vaccines, which he called "doses of hope".
Over the past several months, the government, through the NTF Against COVID-19, has negotiated with various vaccine makers to secure at least 161 million vaccine doses for the inoculation of 70 percent of the total population, or about 70 million Filipinos.
Doing so would enable the country to achieve "herd immunity"--a form of indirect protection when a sufficient percentage of the population becomes immune to an infectious disease--before the year ends.
The brands in the government's current vaccine portfolio include CoronaVac from China's Sinovac Biotech, British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca, Novovax from the Serum Institute of India, Russia's Sputnik V from Gamaleya Institute, American Johnson and Johnson from Janssen pharmaceuticals, Moderna, and Pfizer.