Enough vax supplies secured for next admin: NTF chief

[ASEAN NOW News]

National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. (File photo)

 

MANILA – No need for the next administration to procure additional vaccines for this year’s Covid-19 inoculation program, according to vaccine czar, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., on Wednesday, noting that the country has enough supplies.

 

“The next administration will be glad Mr. President because we have more or less 98 to 100 million vaccine doses that will be left and they don’t need to buy anymore,” Galvez told President Rodrigo Roa Duterte during his prerecorded Talk to the People.

 

Galvez, who is also the chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) against Covid-19, said the World Health Organization (WHO)-led COVAX facility has renewed its commitment to provide more vaccines in the Philippines—which is on top of the seventy-four million doses of donation last year.

 

The COVAX also vowed to replace the country’s expired vaccines, he added.

 

“And according to them, they have already a flexibility on supply. They can provide vaccines again and will replace the expired vaccines and our other needs,” Galvez said.

 

The pronouncement of the COVAX on replacing the expired vaccine doses will reduce people’s doubts about vaccine efficacy and will somehow address the hesitancy of the people to get vaccinated, he added.

 

“The most important for them is to save more lives rather to have doubts on the expiring vaccines,” he said.

 

Galvez said the Philippines has been able to procure Covid-19 vaccines at a much lower price from various pharmaceutical companies, allowing the government to save more funds on pandemic response.

 

“Actually, that one hundred million doses will serve as our savings. And that one hundred million doses will be enough to reserve for the next administration,” he added.

 

He said the government will no longer use the PHP45-billion budget allotted for this year’s Covid-19 vaccine procurement, through a multi-lateral agreement with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

 

Of that total concessional loan amount agreed with these international banks, PHP2.5 billion will be sourced from the Department of Health (DOH)’s 2021 budget, while PHP10 billion is from funds under Republic Act No. 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2).

 

“We know we have allotted PHP45 billion from multilateral financier and PHP2.5 billion from DOH. This has remained untouched,” Galvez noted. (PNA)

 

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[MrJ2U]

3 minutes ago, ASEAN NOW News said:

the country has enough supplies.

The older generation vaccines should be donated before they expire.

 

Emphasis should be aquiring second generation vaccines.

 

Despite the constant misteps on the vaccine front they still haven't learned anything.